Final answer:
The problem is a linear equation system involving two jobs with different hourly rates. It requires solving for the hours needed at each job to earn a total of $300, ensuring the total hours do not exceed 40 per week.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question relates to determining how many hours a student needs to work at two different jobs to make a total of $300 to cover their expenses, given that the window-washing job pays $8 an hour and the tutoring job pays $10 an hour.
To solve this, we need to calculate the number of hours the student would need to work at each job to make the required amount. If we denote the number of hours worked at the window-washing job as x, and the hours at the tutoring job as y, we have two constraints:
- The student can work a maximum of 40 hours a week, so x + y ≤ 40.
- The student needs to make $300, so 8x + 10y = 300.
This is a system of linear equations that can be solved using methods such as substitution or graphing. For instance, the student could choose to work all 40 hours in one job, a split between the two, or only enough hours to make the required $300 and no more.