Jim has $440 in his savings account and adds $12 per week to the account. At the same time, Rhonda has $260 in her savings account and adds $18 per week to the account. How long will it take Rhonda to have the same amount in her account as Jim?
Set up Jim's savings function S(w) where w is the number of weeks of savings:
S(w) = Savings per week * w + Initial Savings
S(w) = 12w + 440
Set up Rhonda's savings function S(w) where w is the number of weeks of savings:
S(w) = Savings per week * w + Initial Savings
S(w) = 18w + 260
The problems asks for w where both savings functions equal each other:
12w + 440 = 18w + 260
To solve for w, we type this equation into our math engine and we get:
w = 30
Set up Jim's savings function S(w) where w is the number of weeks of savings:
S(w) = Savings per week * w + Initial Savings
S(w) = 12w + 440
Set up Rhonda's savings function S(w) where w is the number of weeks of savings:
S(w) = Savings per week * w + Initial Savings
S(w) = 18w + 260
The problems asks for w where both savings functions equal each other:
12w + 440 = 18w + 260
To solve for w, we type this equation into our math engine and we get:
w = 30