Question

sean earns 4.50 per hour more than the trainee during one 8 hour day they earn a total of $284 how much does Sean make per hour

Answer 1

1) Let Sean=x and Tyrone=y. But we want to get what Sean earns and what Tyrone earns in terms of one variable so we say that Tyrone=x-4.5 (beacuse he makes $4.50 per hour less than Sean).   2) Now set up the equation: 8 hours time x plus 8 hours times x-4.5 equals 284 OR
8x+8(x-4.5)=284   3) Solve for x  8x+8(x-4.5)=284 8x+8x-36=284 16x=320 x=20   So Sean makes $20 per hour and Tyrone makes $15.50 per hour