The cost of an everyday service such as leaf removal is based upon two factors. First, the cost of the service per hour for the leaves to be removed must be taken into consideration. Second, any hourly minimum or service fee must be added to this amount. Such fees usually take the form of "X amount of dollars per hour, with a minimum of two hours charged." While this may not seem to lend itself to any simple means of calculation at first, it follows the requirements of a linear function. This function can be used to accurately estimate the cost of leaf removal.
Step 1
Write down the equation "y = mx + b."
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Step 2
Replace the "m" in the equation with the cost per hour in dollars.
Step 3
Replace the "x" in the equation with the estimated time it will take to complete the task. This estimate should be freely given by anyone offering the leaf removal service.
Step 4
Replace "b" with the sum of any service fees or minimum amount of hours charged.
Step 5
Replace "y" with the result of the equation. For example, if the cost of the service is $10.00 per hour, an estimated completion time of five hours, and a minimum of two hours charged, the equation would look like this "50 = 10(5) + 0." The minimum two hours is zero because the time for completion was over two hours. However, if the time for completion is not over two hours, then "b" would be 20.
Tip
This function, like any linear function, can be graphed to give a detailed price overview for the leaf removal service over a wide range of completion times.
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