Final answer:
Maria's hourly wage is calculated by dividing her total earnings of $65.85 by the total hours she worked, which is 22.5 hours. This gives an hourly wage of approximately $2.93.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate Maria's hourly wage, we first define the total earnings ($65.85) and the total hours worked (22.5 hours). Hourly wage is calculated by dividing total earnings by total hours worked.
The equation can be represented as follows:
Hourly Wage = Total Earnings ÷ Total Hours Worked
Hourly Wage = $65.85 ÷ 22.5 hours
Now, perform the division to find Maria's hourly wage:
Hourly Wage = $2.926 (rounded to three decimal places)
Therefore, Maria earns approximately $2.93 per hour (rounded to two decimal places).