Final answer:
In both scenarios of blueberry purchases and Mai and Noah's summer earnings, the quantity is multiplied by a unit price to calculate a total cost or earnings. This application of multiplication is a common mathematical operation used in various contexts.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question centers around understanding how mathematical principles apply to different real-life scenarios by comparing equations used for purchasing items with those used for calculating earnings. When computing the total amount spent on blueberry purchases, the same method is used as when calculating Mai and Noah’s summer earnings: the quantity is multiplied by the single unit price to determine the total cost or total earnings. This same principle of multiplication applies across various contexts, whether buying fruit or computing salary.
Examples:
- For fruits: Quantity of Fruit × Price per Unit = Total Spent
- For earnings: Hours Worked × Hourly Wage = Total Earnings
Both situations use simple algebraic equations that consist of multiplying two variables to arrive at a result, which in these cases, are the totals spent on purchases or earned over the summer.