Question

Merin earns 1.5 times her normal hourly rate for each hour she works after 40 hours in a week. She worked 48 hours this week and earned $650. What is her normal hourly rate?

Answer 1

$12.5/hour

Explanation:

Based on the given information, here's what we know:

• Merin worked 40 hours on regular rate
• She worked 8 hours on 1.5x regular rate.
• She earned a total of $650

Now, we can use this information to set up an equation. Let's call Merin's regular hourly rate `x`. Let's now translate the first two sentences into equations:

• 40 hours on regular rate `=> 40x`
• 8 hours on 1.5x regular rate `=> 8(1.5x) = 12x`

We know that the two must add up to $650, or the total sum of money she earned in these 48 hours. Hence, our final equation is:

`40x + 12x = 650`

`=> 52x = 650`

Now, it's a basic algebra problem. Simply divide both sides by `52`, and you have your answer:

`x = 650/52 = 12.5`

In words, Merin earns $12.5/hour.

Hope that helped :)