Question

Attorney A charges a fixed fee on $250 for an initial meeting and $150 per hour for all hours worked after that. Write an equation in slope-intercept form. Attorney B charges $150 for the initial meeting and $175 per hour. Find the charge for 26 hours of work for each attorney. Which is the better deal? At how many hours does this attorney become a better deal?

Answer 1

let h be the number of hours then

A → C = 150h + 250 ( where C is charge )

B → C = 175h + 150

for 26 hours

A → C = (150 × 26 ) + 250 = 3900 + 250 = $4150

B → C = (175 × 26 ) + 150 = 4550 + 150 = $4700

Attorney A is cheaper for 26 hours, thus better deal

Equate the 2 equations to find hours they charge the same

175h + 150 = 150h + 250 ( subtract 150h from both sides )

25h + 150 = 250 ( subtract 150 from both sides )

25h = 100 ( divide both sides by 25 )

h = 4 ← number of hours when charges for both are equal

Thus Attorney A becomes a better deal at 5 hours