Video Streaming
Alignments to Content Standards:
8.F.B.4
Task
You work for a video streaming company that has two monthly plans to choose from:
- Plan 1: A flat rate of \$7 per month plus \$2.50 per video viewed
- Plan 2: \$4 per video viewed
- What type of functions model this situation? Explain how you know.
- Define variables that make sense in the context, and then write an equation with cost as a function of videos viewed, representing each monthly plan.
- How much would 3 videos in a month cost for each plan? 5 videos?
- Compare the two plans and explain what advice you would give to a customer trying to decide which plan is best for them, based on their viewing habits.
Solution
- Each plan can be modeled by a linear function since the constant rate per video indicates a linear relationship.
-
We let $C_1$ be the monthly cost of Plan 1, $C_2$ be the monthly cost of Plan 2, and $V$ be the number of videos viewed in a given month. Then
$$\begin{align} C_1 &= 7 + 2.5V \\ C_2 &= 4V \end{align}$$
-
3 videos on Plan 1: $C_1= 7 + 2.5(3) = \$14.50$
5 videos on Plan 1: $ C_1= 7 + 2.5(5) = \$19.50 $
3 videos on Plan 2: $C_2= 4(3) = \$12 $
5 videos on Plan 2: $C_2= 4(5) = \$20$
- Plan 1 costs less than Plan 2 for 5 or more videos per month. A customer who watches fewer than 5 videos per month should choose Plan 2. A customer who watches 5 or more videos per month should choose Plan 1.
Video Streaming
You work for a video streaming company that has two monthly plans to choose from:
- Plan 1: A flat rate of \$7 per month plus \$2.50 per video viewed
- Plan 2: \$4 per video viewed
- What type of functions model this situation? Explain how you know.
- Define variables that make sense in the context, and then write an equation with cost as a function of videos viewed, representing each monthly plan.
- How much would 3 videos in a month cost for each plan? 5 videos?
- Compare the two plans and explain what advice you would give to a customer trying to decide which plan is best for them, based on their viewing habits.