Mahmoud earns $450 per week plus a 20% commission as a car salesman. He wants his hourly salary to be at least $35.

Question

I don’t really know how to do this problem could you help?

Answer 1

Hi Haley C.,

Hi Jesse E., great answer. I just want to add to your answer a solution without an assumption.

If we let X = the number of hours worked.

And Y = the car sales.

Then 450/X = hourly salary

And (20%)*Y / X = hourly car commissions.

We can now write an expression to satisfy $35/hr:

450/X + (.20)*Y/X = 35

450 + .2Y = 35X (multiply both sides by X)

.2Y = 35X - 450 (subtract 450 from both sides)

Y = 175X - 2250 (multiply both sides by 5)

We can check the result with Jesse's 40 hour week:

Y = 175*(40) - 2250 = 4750

We can also check by how many hours Mahmoud could work without commission and still make $35/hr by setting Y = 0:

0 = 175X -2250

175X = 2250 (add 2250 to both sides and rearrange)

X = 12.86

And 450/35 = 12.86

So Y = 175X - 2250 is the answer without assumptions.

Thanks. I hope this helps, Joe

Answer 2

Let's assume he means a hourly salary based on a 40 hour work week.

For $35 per hour, at 40 hours a week, this comes to $1,400 per week.

35 x 40 = 1400

This is the total he wants to make a week. Given he earns $450 per week, we will have to calculate x for the amount of sales he has to make per week.

450 + 0.20x = 1400 Substract both sides by 450.

0.20x = 950 Divide both sides by 0.20

x = 4750

To meet his goal, he has to have $4750 in sales.