1. J. Cole is a successful Hip-Hop recording artist. He has a record contract that pays him $20,000 a month plus an additional $12 for each album that he sells. Last month he earned $24,800. Write an equation to express the money J. Cole earned last month. Let "x" represent the number of albums.

2. How many albums did J. Cole sell last month?

Monthly payment = $20,000

Payment per album = $12

Total earned last month = $24,800

Part (a) : Expression for money earned last month

Let x be number of albums last month. Then,

Total earning = Fixed payment + Variable payment

That is,

24,800 = 20,000 + 12*x

24,800 = 20,000 + 12x

Part (b) : Number of albums last month

This involves solving for x in the expression derived in part (a) above.

24,800 = 20,000 + 12x

24,800 - 20,000 = 12

12x = 4,800

x = 4,800/12 = 400 albums