Question

A teacher earns $25 an hour. He gets a 3% raise after his first year. The next year his raise is only 1.5%.How much does he make per hour during his third year teaching?

Answer 1

Answer: $26.14 an hour

Step-by-step explanation:

An increase of 3% will involve the multiplier 1.03

Think of it like saying 100% + 3% = 1 + 0.03 = 1.03

The teacher will earn 25*1.03 = 25.75 dollars an hour for the second year.

Then the multiplier 1.015 indicates an increase of 1.5%

So the third year wage is 1.015*25.75 = 26.13625 = 26.14 dollars per hour

Overall, the two multipliers combine to 1.03*1.015 = 1.04545 which is an increase of 4.545%. Notice how 25*1.04545 = 26.13625 which is the same value as earlier.