Question

An employment agency specialize in construction heavy equipment operators get paid $134 per day and general laborers get paid $98 per day. If 38 people were hired and payroll was $4552. How many heavy equipment operators were employed? And how many laborers?

Answer 1

Let x = number of heavy equipment operators

Let y = general laborers

134x + 98y = 4552

x + y = 38

We can now solve the above system of equation simultaneously using the substitution method

From the second equation,

y = 38 - x

Substitute the above into the first equation and solve for x

134x + 98(38 - x ) = 4552

Open the parenthesis

134x + 3724 - 98x = 4552

Rearrange

134x - 98x + 3724 = 4552

36x + 3724 = 4552

subtract 3724 from both-side of the equation

36x = 4552 - 3724

36x =828

Divide both-side by 36

x=23

substitute x=23 into y = 38 - x and evaluate

y = 38 - 23

y = 15

Hence, there are 23 heavy equipement operators and 15 laborers