Question

Gwen is trying to save money for a new bike. She already has $40 saved up, and she can also earn $15 per hour by helping with her stepmom's real estate business.
Which function could model this situation?
How much money would Gwen have if she helped her stepmom for 4 hours?
$

Answer 1

To model the situation, we can use a linear function based on the amount of money Gwen has saved and the money she earns per hour.

Let's define a variable:

- Let \( h \) be the number of hours Gwen works.

The function that represents the total amount of money \( M \) she has after working \( h \) hours can be written as:

\[
M(h) = 40 + 15h
\]

where \( 40 \) is the amount of money she already has saved, and \( 15h \) is the amount she earns from working \( h \) hours.

To find out how much money Gwen would have if she helped her stepmom for 4 hours, we will substitute \( h = 4 \) into the function:

\[
M(4) = 40 + 15 \times 4
\]
\[
M(4) = 40 + 60
\]
\[
M(4) = 100
\]

So, if Gwen helped her stepmom for 4 hours, she would have **$100**.