To solve this problem, you'll first need to analyze what happens to the hourly wage of the internship, which can be represented by x, to get to the hourly wage of the student's new job, which is $23.00. The problem says that $23.00 is twice the amount of x, or 2x, plus $6.00, or + 6.
Your equation will be 23 = 2x + 6. Now, you have to solve it.
To solve an equation, you will need to combine your terms. This is easier to show than explain:
23 = 2x + 6
You can start out by subtracting 6 from +6, which will cancel out that term on the right side. Anything you do to one side is something you must repeat on the other, so subtract 6 from 23 on the left side, as well.
23 = 2x + 6 – 6 – 6
17 = 2x
Now, you will cancel out the 2 in 2x by dividing that term by 2. Then, you'll repeat this on the left side to find what x is equal to.
(17) ÷ 2 = (2x) ÷ 2
8.5 = x
The hourly wage of the intern job was $8.50. You can check this by plugging this number into your original equation and solving the equation. If it is equal to 23, the answer is correct.
