Final answer:
Nicole's total pay with 0 hours of overtime is her fixed wage, which can be found on the graph where overtime hours are zero. Total pay typically increases as overtime hours increase, and the rate of this increase would be depicted as the slope of the line on the graph.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine Nicole's total pay with 0 hours of overtime, we look for the point on the graph where the overtime hours are zero. This point will indicate Nicole's fixed wage, which is the pay she earns without any overtime.
Regarding how overtime and total pay are related, typically, as the amount of overtime increases, the total pay should also increase proportionally. The rate at which the total pay increases with each additional hour of overtime is known as the overtime pay rate. If the graph shows a straight-line relationship, starting from Nicole's fixed wage and increasing with the number of overtime hours, the slope of this line would represent the rate at which her pay is increasing per hour of overtime worked.
If a student provided the actual graph or numerical values, a specific rate could be calculated. Otherwise, without a graph or actual figures, the student can deduce that the relationship is a positive correlation where more hours of overtime result in a higher total pay, and if given, the slope of the line would indicate the rate of increase per hour.