A master electrician earns $62 per hour. His apprentice earns $40 per hour. The master electrician works 3 hours more than the apprentice. If together they are paid $492, how much does the master electrician earn?
Responses
A $292$292
B $312$312
C $332$332
D $372
Let's denote the number of hours the master electrician works as M and the number of hours the apprentice works as A.
Since the master electrician works 3 hours more than the apprentice, we can write the equation:
M = A + 3
The total amount they are paid is $492, which we can write as:
62M + 40A = 492
Now substitute the first equation into the second equation:
62(A+3) + 40A = 492
62A + 186 + 40A = 492
102A + 186 = 492
102A = 306
A = 3
Now that we know the apprentice works 3 hours, we can substitute back into the first equation to find M:
M = 3 + 3
M = 6
Therefore, the master electrician earns $62/hour and works 6 hours, so he earns:
$62 * 6 = $372
Answer: D) $372