To arrive at the answer, I graphed the piecewise function using a graphing calculator, then evaluated it at x=38 and x=52. I drew a line at y=445 and found the point of intersection on the graph.
a) The difference between earnings for 52 hours ($580) and earnings for 38 hours ($380) is
$200.
b) An employee must work
43 hours to earn $445.
Incorrect, she should have divided both sides by 8. The answer should be x=7. There is only 1 solution to the equation because x is raised to the first degree. It is not a polynomial equation so there won't be more than 1 answer to the equation.
$300 income
$250 + $100 = $350 expenses
$300 - $350 = a loss of $50