Question

An electrician charges R45 for each service, then R3 for every 15 minutes spent working hours. If Mary has R60 , how long can she afford for the electrician to work. ( in minutes)?


select the correct answer

A. 3
B. 15
C. 75
D. 90
E. None of the given answers

Answer 1

To determine how long Mary can afford the electrician, we need to break down the charges.

1. The initial charge for the service is R45.
2. After that, the electrician charges R3 for every 15 minutes.

Mary has R60 in total. First, we subtract the initial service charge from Mary's amount:

\[
R60 - R45 = R15
\]

This means Mary has R15 left for the time worked.

Next, we find out how many 15-minute intervals she can afford with the remaining R15:

\[
\text{Cost per 15 minutes} = R3
\]

Now we calculate how many 15-minute intervals Mary can buy with R15:

\[
\frac{R15}{R3} = 5
\]

Since each interval is 15 minutes, we can calculate the total time in minutes:

\[
5 \times 15 = 75 \text{ minutes}
\]

So, Mary can afford for the electrician to work for 75 minutes.

The answer is **C. 75**.