Question

A manufacturing company has a policy that states managers are paid a salary that is proportional to the number of employees they manage on their team. If the number of employees on Team A increases from 12 to 16 and Team A manager’s salary is increased from $34,000 to $36,000, was the company’s policy followed? Set the problem as a proportion and see if both sides are equal.

Answer 1

From the problem description, we can construct an algebraic equation for the situation. Let S be the salary and x be the number of employees.

S = kx
where k is the proportionality constant

Using variation,

k = S₁/x₁ = S₂/x₂

Substituting,

34000/12 ? 36000/16
2833.33 ? 2250
Thus,
2833.33 ≠ 2250
It does not follow the company's policy.