Math 8 Algebra help - Please Help!

[AbhiKap]

Hello, AbhiKap Here.

I really need help on this problem. This is not a homework question, it is just material that will be on my quiz in a few days, so please help!

Melvin, the math tutor holds private classes for $50 per hour. He invested $350 on a graphing calculator and educational materials. Use "p" for total profit, "h" for hours spent tutoring, and write and equation that will predict Melvin's profit.

Thanks, Help is appreciated.

 

[Deleted member 4993]

Hello, AbhiKap Here.

I really need help on this problem. This is not a homework question, it is just material that will be on my quiz in a few days, so please help!

Melvin, the math tutor holds private classes for $50 per hour. He invested $350 on a graphing calculator and educational materials. Use "p" for total profit, "h" for hours spent tutoring, and write and equation that will predict Melvin's profit.

Thanks, Help is appreciated.

Are you saying that you cannot even start solving this problem?

How much money did Melvin make?

How much money did he spend?

What is the definition of profit?

Please read the post titled "Read before Posting".

We can help - we only help after you have shown your work - or ask a specific question (not a statement like "Don't know any of these")

Please share your work with us indicating exactly where you are stuck - so that we may know where to begin to help you.

 

[AbhiKap]

Are you saying that you cannot even start solving this problem?

How much money did Melvin make?

How much money did he spend?

What is the definition of profit?

Please read the post titled "Read before Posting".

We can help - we only help after you have shown your work - or ask a specific question (not a statement like "Don't know any of these")

Please share your work with us indicating exactly where you are stuck - so that we may know where to begin to help you.

Yes, I can't even START working on it. I have never been good in writing equations. I know all the other questions except this one - write an equation. So, please help! Thanks.

 

[mmm4444bot]

Do you understand the given scenario about Melvin's situation?

In other words, forget about writing the equation for a moment.

Ask yourself whether you understand the following concept:

Profit is what's left of your revenue after you pay your costs.

If there is anything confusing about that, then you need to clear up that confusion before trying to understand Melvin's situation in this exercise.

Profit = Revenue - Cost

Do you understand what revenue means? If you sell paintings on the sidewalk for $50 each, and you sell 4 paintings, how do you calculate your revenue? What if you sold x paintings?

Do you understand what cost means? You had to buy paper, brushes, and paint to create those paintings. The money you spent is your cost.

Profit = Revenue - Cost

So, what are your specific questions about this exercise now?

 

[AbhiKap]

Do you understand the given scenario about Melvin's situation?

In other words, forget about writing the equation for a moment.

Ask yourself whether you understand the following concept:

Profit is what's left of your revenue after you pay your costs.

If there is anything confusing about that, then you need to clear up that confusion before trying to understand Melvin's situation in this exercise.

Profit = Revenue - Cost

Do you understand what revenue means? If you sell paintings on the sidewalk for $50 each, and you sell 4 paintings, how do you calculate your revenue? What if you sold x paintings?

Do you understand what cost means? You had to buy paper, brushes, and paint to create those paintings. The money you spent is your cost.

Profit = Revenue - Cost

So, what are your specific questions about this exercise now?

Yes, yes I understand all of that. I understand Melvin's situation and I know what profit, cost, and revenue means. What I really need help in is writing the equation. Thanks.

 

[AbhiKap]

Yes, yes I understand all of that. I understand Melvin's situation and I know what profit, cost, and revenue means. What I really need help in is writing the equation. Thanks.

ok, I'm not very good at this, but will the equation be: y=50x + 350? That's what I think. Is it correct or not? Thanks.

 

[mmm4444bot]

y = 50x + 350

That's a good start, but you need to use the specific symbols that they provided to represent the two variables: profit and number-of-hours.

Variable p stands for profit, and variable h stands for the number-of-hours.

The only other mistake I see is that you used the expression revenue+cost for profit. You need to take the cost away from the revenue, not add it.

Profit = Revenue - Cost

:cool:

 

[AbhiKap]

That's a good start, but you need to use the specific symbols that they provided to represent the two variables: profit and number-of-hours.

Variable p stands for profit, and variable h stands for the number of hours.

The only other mistake I see is that you used revenue+cost for profit. You need to take the costs away from the revenue, not add them.

Profit = Revenue - Cost

:cool:

oh I see. ok. How about this: p=50h-350. Is that correct or not? Thanks, help is appreciated.

 

[mmm4444bot]

Perfection!

You now have a formula for modeling Melvin's profit.

50h is a symbolic representation of his revenue (just like p is a symbolic representation of profit and h is a symbolic representation of hours worked). Once you're given some specific number of hours that Melvin worked, you can calculate the actual number of dollars that he brought in (i.e., his revenue 50h).

He worked 10 long hours, you say? Well then, h=10 and his revenue is 50(10) -- that's $500.

Subtracting his cost yields the profit after 10 hours work.

Graph the line in Quadrant I, and you'll have a picture of how his profit grows over increasing hours worked.

Now you've learned something, and you properly wrote an equation, so there's no need to continue saying that you're really bad at writing equations. Say that you're getting better, instead.

Cheers

 

[AbhiKap]

Perfection!

You now have a formula for modeling Melvin's profit.

50h is a symbolic representation of his revenue (just like p is a symbolic representation of profit and h is a symbolic representation of hours worked). Once you're given some specific number of hours that Melvin worked, you can calculate the actual number of dollars that he brought in (i.e., his revenue 50h).

He worked 10 long hours, you say? Well then, h=10 and his revenue is 50(10) -- that's $500.

Subtracting his cost yields the profit after 10 hours work.

Graph the line in Quadrant I, and you'll have a picture of how his profit grows over increasing hours worked.

Now you've learned something, and you properly wrote an equation, so there's no need to continue saying that you're really bad at writing equations. Say that you're getting better, instead.

Cheers

Thank you so much for your kind words!