College

The number of brake pads needed for a car is 4, and a manufacturing plant has 480 brake pads.

The number of brake pads remaining after brake pads have been installed on [tex]$x$[/tex] cars is [tex]$f(x) = 480 - 4x$[/tex].

Answer :

To solve the problem of calculating the number of brake pads remaining after installing them on a certain number of cars, we can use the function [tex]\( f(x) = 480 - 4x \)[/tex]. Here's how we can understand this step-by-step:

1. Identify the starting quantity:
- Begin with 480 brake pads. This is your total initial amount.

2. Determine the brake pads required per car:
- Each car needs 4 brake pads.

3. Calculate the total brake pads used:
- If you have installed brake pads on [tex]\( x \)[/tex] cars, you will have used [tex]\( 4x \)[/tex] brake pads, because each of the [tex]\( x \)[/tex] cars needs 4 brake pads.

4. Establish the function for remaining brake pads:
- To find out how many brake pads are left after installing them on [tex]\( x \)[/tex] cars, subtract the amount used from the initial total. This gives you the formula:
[tex]\[
f(x) = 480 - 4x
\][/tex]
- Here, [tex]\( f(x) \)[/tex] represents the number of brake pads remaining.

So, by using the function [tex]\( f(x) = 480 - 4x \)[/tex], you can input the value of [tex]\( x \)[/tex] (the number of cars) to find out how many brake pads are left.