Chapter 4 Systems of Linear Equations

Question

An employment agency specializing in temporary construction help pays heavy equipment operators $131 per day and general laborers $100 per day. If thirty-one people were hired and the payroll was $3844, how many heavy equipment operators were​ employed? How many​ laborers?

Answer 1

Hi Kat, let h represent the heavy equipment operators and g represent the general laborers.

Equation 1, number of workers:

h + g = 31

Equation 2, payroll:

131h + 100g = 3844

System to solve:

h + g = 31

131h + 100g = 3844

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Multiple equation 1 by -100:

-100h - 100g = -3100

131h + 100g = 3844

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31h = 744

Divide both sides by 31:

h = 24

There were 24 heavy equipment operators.

Substitute 24 for h in equation 1:

24 + g = 31

subtract 24 from both sides:

g = 7

There were 7 general laborers.

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