Question

A factory employs skilled laborers at$25 per hour and unskilled laborers at $12 per hour. The total hourly cost of the factory’s 24 workers is $405. How many of each type of laborer works at the factory.

Answer 1

For this case what you should do is the following system of equations:
 x: skilled laborers
 y: unskilled laborers
 By writing the system we have:
 x + y = 24
 25x + 12y = 405
 Solving the system:
 Step 1:
 -25x + -25y = -600
 25x + 12y = 405
 Step 2:
 -13y = -195
 y = 195/13
 y = 15
 step 3:
 x = 24-y
 x = 24-15
 x = 9
 Answer:
 skilled laborers = 9
 unskilled laborers = 15