Question

an enigneer worked for 6 days and her assistant worked for 7 days on a project. Together they received a slary of $4500.00. The next week the engineer worked 5 days and the assistant 3 days and earned a combined salary of $2900.00. What is the daily salary for each? Engineer $______ Assistant $ _____

Answer 1

Let X be equal to the daily salary of the engineer
Let Y be equal to the daily salary of the assistant

for the first week, the engineer worked 6 days and the assistant worked 7 days to make a total of 4500

this means that
6X+7Y=4500
do you understand where i got this equation from?

Answer 2

6x= 6 days for the engineer. 7y= 7 days for assistant=4500 received salary

Answer 3

ok how about for the 2nd week?

Answer 4

3x+5y=2900.00

Answer 5

x is the engineer salary, y is the assistant
the engineer worked 5 days and the assistant worked only 3

Answer 6

my bad yeah i was looking at the wrong thing

Answer 7

now you have 2 equations with 2 unknowns
can you solve it now?

Answer 8

umm imma need some guidence

Answer 9

6x+7y=4500
5x+3y=2900
ignore the decimal places for now

take the first equation and solve for x

the substitute x back in for the 2nd equation
and then solve for y

once you have y, substitute that back into the first or 2nd equation to determine x

Answer 10

there are many other ways of solving it but substitution seems easier to explain

Answer 11

okay once i do that ill come back to you

Answer 12

how do you solve for x? like where am i supposed to start from?

Answer 13

ug, why do they have to be such ugly numbers
6x+7y=4500
7y=4500-6x
y=(4500-6x)/7

Answer 14

or
6x+7y=4500
6x=4500-7y
x=(4500-7y)/6

Answer 15

plug either one of those into the 2nd equation and solve for the remaining variable

Answer 16

okay ill get back to you when i get stuck

Answer 17

okay so i choose to do 6x+7y=4500
6x=4500-7y
x=(4500-7y)/6. so what do you do? like just pop that last part in the calculator? or figure it out?

Answer 18

then substitute it into the 2nd equation
5((4500-7y)/6)+3y=2900
simplify, and solve for y

Answer 19

okay that seems like alot how am i supposed to do that?

Answer 20

you distribute
and use a calculator in this case
(5*4500/6)-(5*7/6)y +3y = 2900

Answer 21

so pop that in the calculator without the "=2900"

Answer 22

what is that y goanna go for? can i put it as 1?

Answer 23

you cant stick variables into a calculator.....

Answer 24

i knwo that. thats why im asking can i put them in as 1?

Answer 25

(5*4500/6)-(5*7/6)y +3y = 2900
-(5*7/6)y +3y = 2900-(5*4500/6)
SIMPLIFY INTO DECIMALS
then solve for y

Answer 26

you are trying to determine y so no you cannot just put a random value for it

Answer 27

im sorry but i just dont undersdtand. :/

Answer 28

-5*7/6=???

Answer 29

-5.8

Answer 30

-5.8+3=?

Answer 31

2900-(5*4500/6)=???

Answer 32

-2.8 and -850

Answer 33

-2.8y=-850

Answer 34

y=?????

Answer 35

ohhhhh didvide sorry

Answer 36

umm its -304.67?????

Answer 37

it should be positive
anyways now you have your y value
go solve for the x value
6x+7y=4500

Answer 38

so the y wowuld be for the assistant?

Answer 39

yes

Answer 40

okay now to figure out the engineer i have to do the same thing?

Answer 41

no, since you already have a value for y
you substitute it back into one of the original equations

6x+7(304.67)=4500
then solve for x

you could do the same thing for the engineer, but you would end up doing more work than you would have to

Answer 42

ughh i always get confused when its time to put in the calculator im sorry but with the 6x again what do i do?

Answer 43

4500-7*304.67

Answer 44

2367.31

Answer 45

6x=2367.31

Answer 46

should i round?

Answer 47

yes

Answer 48

405.65??

Answer 49

thats your answer for the engineer

Answer 50

yes....

Answer 51

is it right?

Answer 52

no idea, didnt actually do the problem

Answer 53

i dont think it is