Given the age in years, t, of a water-transport pipe, the formula r = 17 + 4 t can be used to predict the rate of water leakage (in gallons per minute) from the pipe as it carries water from the headquarters of a farming cooperative to farmland a mile away. what is the meaning of the constant 17 in the function r ?

a. initially the pipe leaks at 4 gallons per year.
b. initially the pipe leaks at 17 gallons per year.
c. initially the pipe leaks 17 gallons.
d. initially the pipe leaks at 4 gallons per minute.
e. initially the pipe leaks 4 gallons.
f. initially the pipe leaks at 17 gallons per minute.