Question

12. Mary and Jenny worked in a bookstore during the summer. Because of the experience, Mary's pay is 20% more than Jenny's. Last week, Mary worked for 30 hours and Jenny worked for 25 hours. Together they made $610. What are Mary's and Jenny's hourly rates?​

Answer 1

Let x be Jenny's hourly rate. Then Mary's hourly rate is x + 0.2x = 1.2x.

The total amount of money they earned for the hours they worked is the same, so we can set up the equation:

30x + 25(1.2x) = 610

Expanding the second term and solving for x:

30x + 30x = 610

60x = 610

x = 10.17

So Jenny's hourly rate is $10.17 and Mary's hourly rate is $12.20.