How to write an equation for this problem: A boat rental company charges a $5 usage fee and $10 an hour to rent a canoe. How long did you rent the canoe if you were charged $45?

Answer 1

first you represent the unknown with variable:
let x = number of hours you rent the canoe
then we set-up the equation. since the rate is $10 per hour, we multiply the number of hours (which is x) by 10 and add the usage fee to get the total amount. thus,
10x + 5 = 45

hope this helps~ :)