You are choosing between two different cell phone plans. The first plan charges a rate of 23 cents per minute. The second plan charges a monthly fee of $\$ 29.95$ plus 8 cents per minute. How many minutes would you have to use in a month in order for the second plan to be preferable?
minutes
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\(\boxed{x > 200}\) is the final answer, meaning you would have to use at least 200 minutes in a month for the second plan to be preferable.
Step 1 :Let's denote the number of minutes you use in a month as \(x\).
Step 2 :For the first plan, the cost is \(0.23x\) dollars.
Step 3 :For the second plan, the cost is \(29.95 + 0.08x\) dollars.
Step 4 :The second plan is preferable when it costs less than the first plan, so we set up the inequality: \(29.95 + 0.08x < 0.23x\).
Step 5 :Subtract \(0.08x\) from both sides to get: \(29.95 < 0.15x\).
Step 6 :Then divide both sides by \(0.15\) to solve for \(x\): \(x > 29.95 / 0.15\).
Step 7 :Calculate the right side: \(x > 199.67\).
Step 8 :Since the number of minutes cannot be a fraction, we round up to the nearest whole number.
Step 9 :\(\boxed{x > 200}\) is the final answer, meaning you would have to use at least 200 minutes in a month for the second plan to be preferable.