The total payment (in dollars) can be modeled by the linear equation:
[tex]y=mx+b[/tex]Where y is the total payment, x is the number of miles, m is the charge per mile and b is the fixed charge. From the problem, we identify:
[tex]\begin{gathered} m=2 \\ b=3 \end{gathered}[/tex]Then:
[tex]y=2x+3[/tex]Now, if a tourist pays $33 (y = 33), using the equation to find the number of miles:
[tex]33=2x+3[/tex]Solving this equation for x:
[tex]\begin{gathered} 2x=30 \\ \\ \therefore x=15\text{ miles} \end{gathered}[/tex]