Final answer:
The equation to use to find the number of hours Mrs. West can hire a babysitter for is $x = 131 / h, where h represents the hourly rate.
Step-by-step explanation:
Since Mrs. West wants to hire a babysitter for a constant rate per hour, we can use the equation $x = 131 / h, where h represents the hourly rate. This equation represents the number of hours, x, that Mrs. West can hire the babysitter for, given her budget of $131. This equation is derived from the example of Svetlana, a tutor who charges a one-time fee of $25 plus $15 per hour. The equation y = 25 + 15x expresses the total amount of money Svetlana earns for each tutoring session.