To represent Nina's savings towards earning her new phone, we can start by considering how much she needs to save and the contributions she is making.
- The cost of the phone is $499.
- Nina received $100 for her birthday, so she still needs to save \( 499 - 100 = 399 \) dollars.
- She plans to save $50 per week, so after \( w \) weeks, she will have saved \( 50w \) dollars.
Putting this all together, the equation that represents Nina's savings towards earning her new phone is:
\[ 50w = 399 \]
This equation shows that the amount Nina saves each week multiplied by the number of weeks will equal the amount she still needs after her birthday money is subtracted from the total price of the phone.