Answer:
10.4 miles
Step-by-step explanation:
Write an equation for the total cost paid as a function of the # of miles driven:
L(x) = $6.75 + ($3.20/mile)x
and set this equal to $40.03 to determine the # of miles Lupita rode:
L(x) = $6.75 + ($3.20/mile)x = $40.03
Isolate the x term by subtracting $6.75 from both sides:
($3.20/mile)x = $40.03 - $6.75 = $33.28
Finally, divide both sides by ($3.20/mile):
x = $33.28 / ($3.20/mile)
= 10.4 miles
Lupita rode 10.4 miles in the taxi.
Where you take a word problem and turn it into an equation
A function

is periodic if there is some constant

such that

for all

in the domain of

. Then

is the "period" of

.
Example:
If

, then we have

, and so

is periodic with period

.
It gets a bit more complicated for a function like yours. We're looking for

such that

Expanding on the left, you have

and

It follows that the following must be satisfied:

The first two equations are satisfied whenever

, or more generally, when

and

(i.e. any multiple of 4).
The second two are satisfied whenever

, and more generally when

with

(any multiple of 10/7).
It then follows that all four equations will be satisfied whenever the two sets above intersect. This happens when

is any common multiple of 4 and 10/7. The least positive one would be 20, which means the period for your function is 20.
Let's verify:


More generally, it can be shown that

is periodic with period

.