Final answer:
It will take 6 years for Marshall and Jim to earn the same salary. Marshall's yearly salary increment is $4,000, and Jim's is $1,500. By equating their salaries and solving for the number of years, we find that Marshall catches up to Jim in 6 years.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks how many years it will take before Marshall and Jim earn the same salary, given that Marshall starts with a salary of $36,000 and receives a $4,000 raise each year, while Jim starts with a salary of $51,000 and receives a $1,500 raise each year.
To solve this, we can set up an equation where Marshall's salary is represented by 36,000 + 4,000y (with y representing the number of years), and Jim's salary is represented by 51,000 + 1,500y. Setting these equal to each other and solving for y gives us:
36,000 + 4,000y = 51,000 + 1,500y
2,500y = 15,000
y = 6
So, it will take 6 years for Marshall and Jim to earn the same salary.