Final answer:
Part A: The equation to determine the number of hours Maria worked at the pet store is 140 = (hours worked at the pet store) x 12 + 80 x 0.55. Part B: Solve the equation to find that (hours worked at the pet store) is 8. Part C: Maria worked at the pet store for 8 hours last week.
Step-by-step explanation:
Part A: To create an equation that will determine the number of hours Maria worked at the pet store, we can use the formula:
Total earnings = (hours worked at the pet store) x (earnings per hour at the pet store) + (number of phone calls) x (earnings per phone call)
Given that Maria earned $140 and answered 80 phone calls, we can write the equation as:
140 = (hours worked at the pet store) x 12 + 80 x 0.55
Part B: To solve this equation, we need to isolate the variable of interest, which is the number of hours worked at the pet store.
140 - (80 x 0.55) = (hours worked at the pet store) x 12
140 - 44 = (hours worked at the pet store) x 12
96 = (hours worked at the pet store) x 12
To find the number of hours worked at the pet store, we can divide both sides of the equation by 12:
(hours worked at the pet store) = 96 ÷ 12
(hours worked at the pet store) = 8
Part C: Maria worked at the pet store for 8 hours last week.