Question

The clerk who worked in Department A earned the following salaries: $15,105 the first year, $15,750 the second year and $16,440 the third year. Another clerk who worked in Department B for three years earned $15,825 a year for 2 years and $16,086 the third year. The DIFFERENCE between the average salaries received by both clerks over a three-year period is

Answer 1

To find the difference between the average salaries of the clerks in Department A and Department B over a three-year period, we first need to calculate the average salary for each clerk.

**Clerk in Department A:**
1. First-year salary: $15,105
2. Second-year salary: $15,750
3. Third-year salary: $16,440

Total salary for Department A = \( 15,105 + 15,750 + 16,440 = 47,295 \)

Average salary for Department A = \( \frac{47,295}{3} = 15,765 \)

**Clerk in Department B:**
1. First-year salary: $15,825
2. Second-year salary: $15,825
3. Third-year salary: $16,086

Total salary for Department B = \( 15,825 + 15,825 + 16,086 = 47,736 \)

Average salary for Department B = \( \frac{47,736}{3} = 15,912 \)

**Difference between average salaries:**
Difference = Average salary of Department B - Average salary of Department A

Calculating the difference:
\[
15,912 - 15,765 = 147
\]

Thus, the difference between the average salaries received by both clerks over a three-year period is \( \boxed{147} \).