how to solve this word problem?

Question

Thomas earns _____ per hour, plus tips. At the end of the day, he made exactly $30 less in tips than he did from his hourly wage. In total, he made $131. How much did he make in tips?

Answer 1

Hi Jenna, 

We solve by doing the following:

x=hourly wage Create Let Statements

y=tips

When we "translate" the question into an equation, we get:

x+y=131 (since hourly wage + tips equals $131)

x+(x-30)=131 Substitute our value of tips

2x-30=131 Solve for x

2x=131+30

2x=161

x=161/2

x=$80.5

∴He made $50.50 in tips because tips=x-30, so we calculate $80.50-$30.00=$50.50)

Best,

Star