If Ellen works overtime on Sunday or Wednesday night
and Thursday night, she will earn enough money to buy
a tennis racket. Does this give her two or three chances
to earn enough money? Explain your reasoning.
If it is "either/or," she is only going to do one of those. "And" suggests that both are required. Does that help?
To determine whether Ellen has two or three chances to earn enough money, we need to analyze the given statement. The statement states that Ellen will work overtime on Sunday or Wednesday night and Thursday night to earn enough money to buy a tennis racket.
Let's break it down:
1. Ellen works overtime on Sunday or Wednesday night.
2. Ellen works overtime on Thursday night.
In the first case, Ellen has the option to work overtime on either Sunday or Wednesday night. Since she needs to work overtime only once, this gives her one chance to earn enough money.
In the second case, Ellen has a separate opportunity to work overtime on Thursday night. This gives her an additional chance to earn enough money, distinct from the first opportunity.
So, Ellen has a total of two chances to earn enough money: one when she works overtime on either Sunday or Wednesday night, and another when she works overtime on Thursday night.
Therefore, the statement provides Ellen with two chances to earn enough money, not three.