How to Write a C Program to Calculate and Display Your Average Hourly Pay Rate

Often, a programming problem consists of understanding what is being asked and applying a series of mathematical or logical operations. The general pattern is to take in some input parameters and compute an output based on a simple or complex formula. In this article, I will guide you through writing a C program to calculate and display your average hourly pay rate.

Breaking Down the Problem

The question you are asking is a two-part problem. The first part involves understanding what you want to compute, and the second part involves the C programming language.

To solve this problem, you need to know your total earnings and the number of hours you worked. Based on these inputs, you can calculate the average hourly pay rate using a simple formula.

The formula for calculating the average hourly pay rate is:

average hourly pay rate total earnings / total hours worked

Writing the C Program

Let's break down the steps:

Include the necessary header files: The stdio.h header file is required for input and output operations in C. Read input from the user: Use the scanf function to read the total earnings and total hours worked. Perform the calculation: Use arithmetic operations to calculate the average hourly pay rate. Output the result: Use the printf function to display the calculated average hourly pay rate. Return control to the operating system: Use the return 0 statement to indicate successful program execution.

Example C Program

Here is the complete C program that accomplishes the task:

// include the necessary header files
#include stdio.h
// main function
int main(){
    // variables to store earnings and hours worked
    float totalEarnings, totalHours;
    // prompt the user to enter total earnings
    printf(Enter your total earnings: );
    scanf(%f, totalEarnings);
    // prompt the user to enter total hours worked
    printf(Enter the total hours worked: );
    scanf(%f, totalHours);
    // calculate the average hourly pay rate
    float avgHourlyPayRate  totalEarnings / totalHours;
    // display the result
    printf(Your average hourly pay rate is: $%.2f
, avgHourlyPayRate);
    // return control to the operating system
    return 0;
}

Explanation

In the example above, we include the stdio.h header file, which provides the necessary functions for input and output operations. We declare two floating-point variables to store the total earnings and total hours worked. The scanf function is used to read the values entered by the user and store them in the respective variables. The average hourly pay rate is then calculated and displayed using the printf function. The format specifier %.2f ensures that the output is formatted to two decimal places.

Conclusion

Writing a C program to calculate your average hourly pay rate is a simple and straightforward task. By understanding the problem, breaking it down into smaller steps, and following the necessary C programming syntax, you can create a program that meets the requirements. Remember to read, write, and test your code to ensure that it works as expected.

Keywords:

C programming average hourly pay calculation in C