Anthony got a job babysitting. Each hour he works he will be paid $8.00. As a bonus, he will earn an additional $1.50 per hour for each child he watches. If his total hourly rate is $12.50, how many children does he watch?

Question

Write an equation in the form px+q=r
𝑝
𝑥
+
𝑞
=
𝑟
to represent this problem

Answer 1

To solve this problem, let's define the variable \( x \) as the number of children Anthony watches.

According to the problem:

• He earns $8.00 per hour for his job.
• He earns an additional $1.50 for each child he watches.

Thus, the total earnings per hour can be expressed as:

\[ \text{Total hourly rate} = \text{Base rate} + \text{Bonus per child} \cdot \text{Number of children} \]

In equation form, this can be written as:

\[ 8.00 + 1.50x = 12.50 \]

This is now in the form \( px + q = r \), where:

• \( p = 1.50 \)
• \( x = \) number of children (our variable)
• \( q = 8.00 \)
• \( r = 12.50 \)

Thus, the equation representing this problem is:

\[ 1.50x + 8.00 = 12.50 \]