Final answer:
To find out how many times of Ruth's earnings Bob's earnings are, divide Bob's earnings by Ruth's earnings (1.5x divided by x = 1.5). Therefore, Bob's earnings are 1.5 times Ruth's earnings.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find out how many times of Ruth's earnings Bob's earnings are, we need to consider the percentage difference between their earnings. Let's assume Ruth's earnings are x. Bob earns 50 percent more than Ruth, so his earnings can be calculated as 1.5x (1 + 0.5 = 1.5). Now, to find out how many times of Ruth's earnings Bob's earnings are, we divide Bob's earnings by Ruth's earnings: 1.5x divided by x = 1.5.
Therefore, Bob's earnings are 1.5 times Ruth's earnings.