# Am I right or am I wrong?

#### cdc112745

##### New member
In preparation for an expert witness report, I am being paid to read multiple documents and depositions and to listen to 9-1-1 tape recordings.
1. I read one page in three minutes.
2. I charge $250.00 per hour. 3. If I read ten pages, would I divide ten by$250.00 to determine my pay for reading ten pages?
See attached:

 A​ B​ C​ D​ E​ ​ 1 Deposition of XXX 79 pages 237 Minutes (+B1*3)​ 237 minutes/$250.00 = 0.95 (+C1/$250.00)​ 237.00 (+C1*D1)​ ​ 2 Deposition of xxx 48 pages 144 Minutes (+B2*3)​ 144 minutes/$250.00 = 0.58 (+C2/$250.00)​ 144.00 (+C2*D2)​ ​ 3 Deposition of XXXX 39 pages 117 Minutes (+B3*3)​ 117 minutes/$250.00 = 0.47 (+C3/$250.00)​ 117.00 (+C3*D3)​ ​

I am paid well for my expertise which does not include math.

Thank you,

Charles

Last edited:

#### Otis

##### Elite Member
If I read ten pages, would I divide ten by $250.00 to determine my pay for reading ten pages? Hi cdc. That's not correct. Dividing time by money yields a rate for the number of minutes spent reading for each dollar earned. You need to invert that ratio, to obtain the rate 'dollars earned per hour worked'. You could also convert hours to minutes. There are 60 minutes in one hour. Dividing your hourly rate by 60 will convert it to a minute rate. 250 ÷ 60 = 25/6 You earn 25/6 dollars for each minute reading. Multiplying your reading time (in minutes) by that rate yields money earned. In your first example, you correctly multiplied 79 minutes by 3, to obtain 237 total minutes reading. 237 × 25/6 = 987.50 You earn$987.50 for reading 79 pages.

Are you paid the same rate for listening to tapes?

#### cdc112745

##### New member
Hi cdc. That's not correct. Dividing time by money yields a rate for the number of minutes spent reading for each dollar earned. You need to invert that ratio, to obtain the rate 'dollars earned per hour worked'.

You could also convert hours to minutes. There are 60 minutes in one hour. Dividing your hourly rate by 60 will convert it to a minute rate.

250 ÷ 60 = 25/6

You earn 25/6 dollars for each minute reading. Multiplying your reading time (in minutes) by that rate yields money earned.

In your first example, you correctly multiplied 79 minutes by 3, to obtain 237 total minutes reading.

237 × 25/6 = 987.50

You earn $987.50 for reading 79 pages. Are you paid the same rate for listening to tapes? Otis. You are One Cool Cat. Yes, the rate is the same as long as I am working on determining the standard of care and if the defendant breached the standard under the same or similar circumstances as someone else with the same "duty to protect." Charles #### Jomo ##### Elite Member If you divide your hourly pay by ten (because there are 10 pages), then you are NOT taking into account how fast or slow you read. Can you not see that? If you read one page an hour, then you'll earn your$250 ten times. If you read extremely quickly and it only takes you 5 seconds to read the 10 pages then you'll earn a very small fraction of $250. You need to determine what part of an hour it will take you to read the 10 pages. If you read at the rate of 3 minutes per page, then 10 pages will take you 10*3 minutes which equals 30 minutes or 1/2 hour. Then you earn your$250/hr for just 1/2 hour. How much is this?

I am sure that you know the math to do such a problem, so the math is not the problem. The problem is your thought process that is at fault.