Determine the cost that each company will charge for 8 hours of work.
Which Company Would You Hire? Master Remodeling. Explanation: See solution.
Practice makes perfect
This exercise asks us to compare the total cost of labor for 8 hours of work from two different companies. In this situation, our variables are x, the number of hours worked, and C(x), the cost. Because we want to know the cost for 8 hours of labor, we will focus on x=8. Let's start by determining the cost for Certified Remodeling.
Certified Remodeling
We will use the given equation for Certified Remodeling, C(x)=25x+50, to determine the cost they will charge for 8 hours of labor. To do this, we will substitute x=8 into the equation and solve.
Certified Remodeling will charge $250 for 8 hours of labor.
Master Remodeling
We are given a table showing the rates offered by the main competitor, Master Remodeling.
Hours
Costs
2
$130
4
$160
6
$190
Notice that in the table, the hours increase by 2 while the cost increases by $30. We can add another row at the bottom of the table by following this rate of change. Adding 2 hours to 6, gives us 8 hours. While adding $30 to $190 gives us $220.
Hours
Costs
2
$130
4
$160
6
$190
8
$220
The main competitor, Master Remodeling, will charge $220 for 8 hours of labor.
Conclusion
In the work above, we found that Certified Remodeling will charge $250 while the main competitor, Master Remodeling will charge $220. Therefore, we should choose the main competitor because it is $30 cheaper than Certified Remodeling.
