Thread: Simple program, which I cant do! Beginner question...

Hi, I'm sure this will be horribly simple to most here but as a beginner it's 'doing my head in'

I've got a simple exercise to work through. The brief is as follows:

"A man is paid at the hourly rate of $8 per hour for the first 35 hours worked. After that, overtime is paid at 1.5 times the hourly rate for the next 25 hours worked and twice the hourly rate for further hours worked. Write a program to input the number of hours worked in a week, and calculate and display his basic pay, overtime pay and gross pay."

So, the basic hours part is fine. It's after that point that I'm hitting a wall. How to calculate the first 35 hours at one pay rate THEN the rest at a second and third rate.

If anyone can show me some code or even just a few pointers it would help. And no, your not doing my 'homework' for me - have lots of other exercises of a similar nature, I'm just trying to grasp the principle. Said it was simple.....

Cheers.

You can do it in three for-loops. First, count until 35 hours and add $8 per hour. Then, continue with 25 hours and $1.5 per hour. Then write the last loop adding overtime pay until infinity. At each loop, check if you have reached the number.

You don't need any loops. There are three cases:

A) He has worked less than or equal to 35 hours.
B) He has worked more than 35 hours but less than or equal to 35+25 = 60 hours
C) He has worked more than 60 hours.

To calculate his pay in case C for example, you simply add 8*35 + 8*1.5*25 + 8*2*(n-60) where n is the number of hours worked.

Just break it down, you only have 3 cases to content with: ST (straight time), OT (over time), and DT (double time).

Break out each part, apply the proper rate to each type, and you're done. This is simple arithmetic, with the trouble being you're doing it in a RL word problem.

Think it through and picture an employee for each case:

E (employee) pay = 8 * hours worked for ST (straight time
E pay = 8 * ST hours + OT rate * OT hours,
E pay = 8 * ST hours + OT rate * OT hours + DT rate * DT hours

A paper and pencil to start, may help organize your thoughts on this.

And << Welcome to the forum, Lee! >>

@Memloop: It doesn't work for values < 60, as in that case you subtract too much. (You subtract 16 for every hour below 60, while it should be 8 or 12).
@Adak: Yes, this is probably the best solution

> @Memloop: It doesn't work for values < 60, as in that case you subtract too much. (You subtract 16 for every hour below 60, while it should be 8 or 12).

If he has worked less than 60 hours then we're not dealing with case C which is what my example showed ...

Oh, then of course your algorithm would be way faster.