Homework Help: S.A.T Math

Posted by Mack on Monday, August 27, 2007 at 9:48pm.

I do not understand This:

Employee x is paid $12.50 an hour for the first 36 hours he works in a week, and is paid double that rate for every hour over that. Employee Y is paid $15.00 an hour for the first 40 hours she works in a week, and is paid 1.5 times that rate for every hour over that. On a certain week, both employees worked the same # of hours and were paid the same amount. How many hours did each employee work that week?

The book says I have to Backsolve. What does Backsolve mean? How do I solve this problem?????

S.A.T Math - brie, Monday, August 27, 2007 at 9:51pm
you work backwards. multiply 12.50 and 36=hours worked in 1 week. do same w/ 15 and 40. keep adding on hours to each employee- make sure to pay them either double or 1.5x more like it says. keep doing this until you come to an equal # of hours for both workers.
S.A.T Math - gabriela, Monday, August 27, 2007 at 10:02pm
It is like u are a owner of a store... when tony(x) starts you pay him $12.50 an hour for his first day & a half(36 hours) in every week & after that he gets paid $25.00 per hour...

Elanie(y) gets paid $15.00 an hour for the first 40 hours she works for a week & after that she is paid $23.50 for every hour she works after that.

now just make a chart of something that shows how much money they each make per week if they work X amount of hours & stop when they make the same amount working the same amount of hours that week...
HINT : THAT WILL BE A HIGH #....
- S.A.T Math - Mack, Monday, August 27, 2007 at 10:06pm
  I still don't get it.
S.A.T Math - gabriela, Monday, August 27, 2007 at 10:03pm
OR U CAN DO WAT BRIE SAID I TEND 2 TAKE THE LONG BUT SAFE WAY...LOLSZ...
- S.A.T Math - Mack, Monday, August 27, 2007 at 10:21pm
  I don't understand her either.
S.A.T Math - gabriela, Monday, August 27, 2007 at 10:12pm
what dont u understand so i can explain it more??
S.A.T Math - DrBob222, Monday, August 27, 2007 at 10:24pm
You can calculate the amount x gets paid for a 40 hour week.
That will be (36 hours*12.50/hour) + (4 hours*25/hour) = 450 + 100 = $550 for the 40 hour week.

y gets paid for the 40 hours a sum of 40 hours*15/hour = $600 for the 40 hour week.

The problem states that x and y worked the same number of hours and were paid the same. So let H = hours worked (over 40) and set the pay equal to each other like so.
x is paid 550+(25*H)
y is paid 600+(22.5*H). But since they are paid the same we can set them equal.
550+(25H)=600+(22.5H)
Solve for H, the number of hours each worked over the 40 hour week.
I get H = 20 hours so they must have worked 60 hours.
S.A.T Math - gabriela, Monday, August 27, 2007 at 10:28pm
yeah i guess that works to...lolsz

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