Question

The 2014 domestic postage rate for first-class letters weighing 3.5 oz or less is 49 cents for the first ounce (or less), plus 21 cents for each additional ounce (or part of an ounce). Express the postage Pas a piecewise defined function of the weight x of a letter, with 0 < x < 3.5. (Express your answer in dollars.)

Answer 1

The postage for first-class letters weighing 3.5 oz or less can be expressed as a piecewise defined function based on weight.

Step-by-step explanation:

The postage for first-class letters weighing 3.5 oz or less can be expressed as a piecewise defined function based on weight. Let's denote the weight of the letter as x.

For 0 < x ≤ 1, the postage is $0.49.

For 1 < x ≤ 3.5, the postage is $0.49 + $0.21(x-1).

So, the piecewise defined function for the postage is:

P(x) =

$0.49 if 0 < x ≤ 1
$0.49 + $0.21(x-1) if 1 < x ≤ 3.5