Question

ella is a salesperson who sells computers at an electronics store. she makes a base pay amount each day and then is paid a commission as a percentage of the total dollar amount the company makes from her sales that day. let ( p ) represent ellas total pay on a day on which she sells ( x ) dollars worth of computers. the table below has select values showing the linear relationship between ( x ) and ( p ). determine the base pay ella makes regardless of computer sales.

( x )	4500	8500	9500
( p )	145	225	245

Explanation:

Step1: Define linear pay model

Let $P = mx + b$, where $b$ is base pay, $m$ is commission rate.

Step2: Set up 2 equations

Using $(4500,145)$ and $(8500,225)$:
$145 = 4500m + b$
$225 = 8500m + b$

Step3: Subtract equations to find $m$

$225 - 145 = (8500m + b) - (4500m + b)$
$80 = 4000m$
$m = \frac{80}{4000} = 0.02$

Step4: Calculate base pay $b$

Substitute $m=0.02$ into $145 = 4500m + b$:
$145 = 4500(0.02) + b$
$145 = 90 + b$
$b = 145 - 90 = 25$

Answer:

$\$25$