Step-by-step explanation and the Answer:
The first thing we must do is define variables. We have x= number of hours and y= total cost .
For the first company we have:
[tex]y=3.5x+26[/tex]
For the second company we have:
[tex]y = 3.50x+24[/tex]
To find the number of hours for which the cost is the same we have to match both equations:
[tex]3.25x+26=3.50x+24[/tex]
From here, we clear x:
[tex]3.50x-3.25x=26-24\\0.25x=2\\x=\frac{2}{0.25}\\ x=8[/tex]
The answer is the number of hours for which the costs are the same is: x = 8 . So it's B. 8.