Deborah hired Nick to remove leaves, aerate the lawn, and plant 3 flower beds. If Nick spends 4.2 hours working on Deborah’s lawn, what is his hourly earnings for the job?

Answer 1

Let x be Deborah’s hourly rate
He spent 4.2*(x/1)=$<<4.2*x=4.2x>>4.2x on leaf removal.
He spent 4.2*(x/2)=$<<4.2*x/2=2.1x>>2.1x on aerating.
He spent 4.2*(x/3)=$<<4.2*x/3=1.4x>>1.4x on planting.
His total earnings are 4.2x+2.1x+1.4x=x*7.7x.
Nick’s hourly earnings for the job are (x*7.7x)/4.2=(7.7/4.2)x=$<<7.7/4.2=1.8333333333333333>>1.83x. Answer: \boxed{1.83}.