Marta just started a new job as an engineer. She is given a $9,000 sign-on bonus and paid $4,500 per month. How many months must Marta work before she earns $27,000?

Answer 1

Hello Sarah,

The sign-on bonus of $9000 is a one-time payment. The $4500 is a monthly payment. so the expression describing Marta's earnings is: 9,000 + 4,500m where m is the number of months.

You want to find how many months it will take for Marta to earn 27,000. That means you must set the expression of Marta's earnings equal to $27,000:

9000+ 4500m = 27000

4500m = 18000

m = 18000/4500 = 4

So Marta must work 4 months to earn $27,000.