John paid a total of $165 for a microscope by making a down payment of $37 plus p monthly payments of $16 each. Which of the following equations represents this situation?

Explanation

Choice C is correct. It's given that John made a $16 payment each month for p months. The total amount of these payments can be represented by the expression 16p. The down payment can be added to that amount to find the total amount John paid, yielding the expression 16p + 37. It's given that John paid a total of $165. Therefore, the expression for the total amount John paid can be set equal to that amount, yielding the equation 16p + 37 = 165.