A secretary at the police department makes $8 less per hour than the dispatcher. The combined hourly wage of the secretary and the dispatcher is $40.

Which equation could be used to find the hourly wage of the dispatcher?

A) 2x + 8 = 40

B) 2x − 8 = 40

C) 8 − 2x = 40

D) (8 − 2)x = 40

The difference of 5 times a number is 27. Which equation below can be used to mind the unknown number?

To solve this problem, let's start by assigning variables to the unknown values. Let's say the hourly wage of the dispatcher is represented by 'x'. Since the secretary makes $8 less per hour, the hourly wage of the secretary would be 'x - 8'.

The combined hourly wage of the secretary and the dispatcher is given as $40. So, the equation representing this situation would be:

(x - 8) + x = 40

Simplifying the equation, we have:

2x - 8 = 40

Therefore, the correct equation is:

B) 2x - 8 = 40.