Question

An employment agency specializing in temporary construction pays heavy equipment operator $133 per day and general laborers $84 per day. If 38 people were hired and the payroll was $4172, how many heavy equipment operator were employed? How many laborers?

Answer 1

let x = number of heavy equipment operators employed

38 - x = number of laborers employed

133x + 84(38 - x) = 4172

133x + 3192 -84x = 4172

49x = 980

x = 20

number of heavy equipment operators employed = 20

38 - 20 = 18

number of laborers employed = 18