The wage function can be represented as a step function based on the given conditions. Let's denote the years as � t and the wage as � W. 3 & \text{if } 0 \leq t < 4 \\ 5 & \text{if } 4 \leq t < 8 \\ 7 & \text{if } 8 \leq t < 12 \\ 9 & \text{if } t \geq 12 \end{cases} \] Here's a textual representation of the graph: ``` W | | 9 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | | 7 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | | 5 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - | | 3 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - It's important to note that this is a step function because the wage increases only at specific points in time, creating "steps" in the graph. You can visualize this on a graph where the horizontal axis represents time (in years) and the vertical axis represents the wage amount. The steps in the graph occur at � = 4 , 8 , t=4,8, and 12 12 years.
