Question

Ashley earns $8.50 per hour at her job, but if she works more than 35 hours in a week she is paid 1½ times her regular wage for the overtime hours worked.
a.find a linear equation that relates her weekly pay y and the number of hours x she worked during the week if she worked no more than 35 hours.

Answer 1

Let

x-------> the number of hours Ashley worked during the week

y------> Ashley's weekly pay

we know that

Ashley earns $8.50 per hour at her job and if she works more than 35 hours in a week she is paid 1½ times her regular wage for the overtime hours worked

so

case a) if she worked no more than 35 hours

$x \leq35\ hours$

In this case the equation is equal to

$y=8.50x$

case b) if she worked more than 35 hours

$x>35\ hours$

in this case

$\ 8.5*1.5=\ 12.75$

$\ 12.75-\ 8.50=\ 4.25$

the equation is equal to

$y=(x-35)*4.25+8.50*x$

therefore

the answer part a) is

$y=8.50x$