Question

plumber charges $65 for a consultation fee and
dollars for labor per hour.

Write an equation that would represent this situation if it took the plumber 5 hours to fix a problem and the total cost is $240.
Find the plumber's hourly charge for labor.
Responses

Answer 1

Let's denote the plumber's hourly charge for labor as \( x \).

The total cost of the service can be represented by the following equation:

\[
\text{Total Cost} = \text{Consultation Fee} + (\text{Hourly Charge} \times \text{Number of Hours})
\]

For this situation, we have:

- Consultation Fee = $65
- Hourly Charge = \( x \)
- Number of Hours = 5
- Total Cost = $240

Putting this into an equation, we get:

\[
240 = 65 + (x \times 5)
\]

Now, we can simplify and solve for \( x \):

1. Subtract 65 from both sides:

\[
240 - 65 = 5x
\]
\[
175 = 5x
\]

2. Divide both sides by 5:

\[
x = \frac{175}{5}
\]
\[
x = 35
\]

Thus, the plumber's hourly charge for labor is **$35** per hour.