Happy Paws charges $19.00 plus $1.50 per hour to keep a dog during the day. Woof Watchers charges $14.00 plus $2.75 per hour. Write and solve an equation to find for how many hours the total cost of the services is equal.
Let's represent the number of hours as "x".
For Happy Paws, the equation would be: Total cost = 19 + 1.50x
For Woof Watchers, the equation would be: Total cost = 14 + 2.75x
We need to find the number of hours when the total cost is equal. So, we can set up the equation:
19 + 1.50x = 14 + 2.75x
To solve this equation, we need to isolate the variable "x" on one side.
Subtracting 1.50x from both sides, we get:
19 - 1.50x = 14 + 2.75x - 1.50x
This simplifies to:
19 - 14 = 2.25x
The left side gives us:
5 = 2.25x
Finally, dividing both sides by 2.25, we find:
x = 5/2.25
x ≈ 2.22
Therefore, the total cost of services will be equal for approximately 2.22 hours.