Question

An electrician charges a flat fee plus an hourly rate for a service call. She charges a total of $160 for a 3-hour service call on Monday and $265 for a 6-hour service call on Tuesday. How much should she charge for a 5-hour service call? *

Answer 1

To find out how much the electrician should charge for a 5-hour service call, we can solve a system of equations using the given information. The flat fee is $55 and the hourly rate is $35. Therefore, the electrician should charge $175 for a 5-hour service call.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find out how much the electrician should charge for a 5-hour service call, we need to determine the flat fee and the hourly rate. We can do this by setting up a system of equations using the given information.

Let's assign variables for the flat fee (f) and the hourly rate (r). Using the information given:

On Monday: 3r + f = 160

On Tuesday: 6r + f = 265

We can solve this system of equations by elimination or substitution.

By elimination method:

Multiplying the first equation by 2 and subtracting it from the second equation, we get:

6r + f = 265

-6r - 2f = -320

Simplifying, we get:

-f = -55

f = 55

Substituting the value of f into one of the original equations, we can solve for r:

3r + 55 = 160

3r = 105

r = 35

Therefore, the flat fee is $55 and the hourly rate is $35. To find out how much the electrician should charge for a 5-hour service call, we multiply the hourly rate by the number of hours:

5 * $35 = $175

So, the electrician should charge $175 for a 5-hour service call.