Step-by-step explanation:
Part (a):
Since new payment amount is 20% less than the original, we can write
New Earning = N[tex]_1[/tex] = $18 - (20%) ($18)
N[tex]_1[/tex] = (80%)($18)
N[tex]_1[/tex] = 0.8 * 18
N[tex]_1[/tex] = $14.4
Part (b):
New number of errors are one-third ([tex]\frac{1}{3}[/tex]) of the initial 15 errors,
Therefore, new number of errors = E = [tex]15\;*\;\frac{1}{3}[/tex]
E = [tex]\frac{15}{3}[/tex]
E = 5
It is given that, earnings per error = n = 15 cents = $0.15
Thus, we can calculate the total earnings for new number of errors as follows,
New Total Earning = N[tex]_2[/tex] = n * E
N[tex]_2[/tex] = 0.15 * 5
N[tex]_2[/tex] = $0.75