To determine how much Eric can sell his car for today, let's consider the following details given in the problem:
1. The initial cost of the car was $7,000.
2. The car depreciates (decreases in value) at a constant rate each month.
3. The period over which the car depreciates is 3 years.
4. There are 12 months in a year, so over 3 years, the number of months would be:
[tex]\[
3 \text{ years} \times 12 \text{ months/year} = 36 \text{ months}
\][/tex]
5. Let [tex]\(x\)[/tex] be the monthly depreciation amount.
To find the total depreciation over the 3-year period, we multiply the monthly depreciation amount ([tex]\(x\)[/tex]) by the total number of months (36 months):
[tex]\[
\text{Total depreciation} = 36 \times x
\][/tex]
Next, we subtract the total depreciation from the initial cost of the car to find the current value. The expression for the current value of the car would then be:
[tex]\[
7000 - 36x
\][/tex]
Therefore, the correct expression that shows how much Eric can sell his car for today is:
[tex]\[
7000 - 36x
\][/tex]
This matches the second option in the given choices:
[tex]\[
7000 - 36x
\][/tex]
