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Wage War

Should the government increase the minimum wage?

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Wage War

Should the government increase the minimum wage?

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Should the government increase the minimum wage? Millions of people earn hourly wages at fast-food restaurants, but it can be difficult to determine how much to pay. On one hand, the more a restaurant pays, the more people will want to work there. On the other hand, the fewer employees the restaurant will want to hire.

In this lesson, students use systems of linear equations to explore the relationship between wage and labor, analyze the economics of fast-food restaurants, and debate whether the federal government should increase the minimum wage.

REAL WORLD TAKEAWAYS

  • As the hourly wage increases (for a given job), more people will want the job but companies will hire fewer employees.
  • The federal minimum wage in the U.S. is $7.25. Many people working at or near minimum wage in the U.S. require government assistance for basic needs. As a result, some people have called for a higher minimum wage, e.g. $15/hr.
  • Economists disagree about the consequences of raising the minimum wage.

MATH OBJECTIVES

  • Given a table of values, calculate the change in y per change in x (i.e. the slope); interpret the slope in context
  • Solve a system of linear equations
  • Interpret the solution of a system, and the space on either side, in a real-world context

Great anytime, including at the beginning of a unit before students have any formal introduction to the topic.
Algebra 1
Solving Linear Systems
Algebra 1
Solving Linear Systems
Content Standards
Mathematical Practices

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