Jeanne babysits chuy one day each week. Jeanne charges a $20 fee for the day, plus $5.50 for every 30 minutes of babysitting. How much has Jeanne earned after three hours of babysitting? (disregard the $ sign when gridding your answer)

Answer

To find out how much Jeanne has earned after three hours of babysitting, we can break down the problem into clear steps:

### Step 1: Understand the Charges
Jeanne has two components to her charges:
1. A flat fee for the day: $20
2. A variable fee of $5.50 for every 30 minutes of babysitting.

### Step 2: Convert Hours to Minutes
Since we need to calculate the earnings based on 30-minute intervals, we first convert the total babysitting time from hours to minutes.
- 3 hours = 3 × 60 minutes = 180 minutes.

### Step 3: Calculate the Number of 30-Minute Intervals
Next, we determine how many 30-minute intervals are in 180 minutes.
- Number of 30-minute intervals = 180 minutes ÷ 30 minutes = 6 intervals.

### Step 4: Calculate the Total Variable Charge
Now, we calculate the total charge for the 30-minute intervals.
- Total charge for 30-minute intervals = Number of intervals × Charge per interval
- Total charge = 6 intervals × $5.50 = $33.

### Step 5: Add the Flat Fee
Finally, we add the flat fee to the total variable charge to find the total earnings.
- Total earnings = Flat fee + Total charge for intervals
- Total earnings = $20 + $33 = $53.

### Conclusion
After three hours of babysitting, Jeanne has earned a total of $53.

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