I'm having some Math trouble?

What is a variable expression?

So say X is the number of hours you work.

The expression is “do this to X”. For example, if you work for three hours how much do you get paid? How did you figure that out?

Isn’t Pay = 8H a variable expression, where H is the variable. If you work 36 hours then your pay equals 8 times 36 dollars.

Dollars per hour times hours worked. In your example it is $8/ hour x 36 hours = $288

X = amount paid; Y = rate of pay; Z = number of hours worked. X = Y x Z.

Remember that “per” translates into math as “divided by.”
So “dollars per hour” means dollars divided by hours.
If your pay is D dollars and you work H hours, then your rate of pay is D/H dollars/hour. Note that the units “dollars/hour” is written as a fraction “dollars over hours.”

So D/H = 8 dollars/hour.

Like any equation, you can multiply both sides by H hours to get:
D (dollars) = 8 (dollars/hour) * H (hours)
D = 8H.

If H = 36 hours, then D = 8*36 = 288 dollars.

Note that the units can be multiplied & divided just as numbers, canceling out numerator & denominator: (dollars/hour) * (hours) = dollars. That’s how you know the formula is right.

Welcome to Fluther.

We don’t really “do” homework here (when we can help ourselves), but we have no problem with helping YOU do it.

You’ve been given the value for one variable, which is the pay rate: $8 / hour.

You want to find the total pay, which we can call “P” (or any other variable name that makes sense to you).

Your definition of the problem includes the name of the other variable, “H”, which is hours worked. You already have one value assigned to this; you can assign more values as you need to.

So, to state the problem in words (recapping what you already have above): What is my pay if I work an unknown number of hours, H, and earn $8 for every one of those hours?

In full, the equation is:
P = $8 / hr. * H hrs.
The “hr.” elements cancel (since one is a multiplicand and one is a divisor), and we’re left with:
P = $8 * H
P = $8 * 36

Your answer will be expressed in dollars, which is what the question asks.

answer: 8 (H) = X H = 36
8 (36) = X
288 = X
Pay for 36 hours of work = $288.00
welcome to Fluther.

It might help to write out all your variables. You know the answer to some:

Pay rate r = 8 dollars/hour
Time working h = 36 hours
total pay P = ?

We are looking for P, right?

So, we know any pay can be expressed in terms of P=r×h

P=(8 dollars/hour)×(36 hours) = 288 (dollars/hour ÷ hours) = 288 dollars

It would be more clear on paper, but it can help to cancel out the rates.