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 two clerks over a three-year period, we first need to calculate the average salary for each clerk.

**Clerk in Department A:**
- Year 1: $15,105
- Year 2: $15,750
- Year 3: $16,440

Total salary for Clerk A:
\[
15,105 + 15,750 + 16,440 = 47,295
\]

Average salary for Clerk A over three years:
\[
\text{Average} = \frac{47,295}{3} = 15,765
\]

**Clerk in Department B:**
- Year 1: $15,825
- Year 2: $15,825
- Year 3: $16,086

Total salary for Clerk B:
\[
15,825 + 15,825 + 16,086 = 47,736
\]

Average salary for Clerk B over three years:
\[
\text{Average} = \frac{47,736}{3} = 15,912
\]

**Difference between the average salaries:**
\[
\text{Difference} = 15,912 - 15,765 = 147
\]

Thus, the difference between the average salaries received by both clerks over a three-year period is **$147**.