Write an equation and solve for x.

Question

Seawall Bike Rental Shop charges a $11 fixed fee plus $9 an hour to rent a bike. Steve paid $56 to rent a bike.



How many hours did he pay to have the bike checked out?.
? hours.

Answer 1

To solve for \( x \), where \( x \) represents the number of hours Steve rented the bike, we can set up the following equation based on the information given:

The total cost to rent a bike can be expressed as: \[ \text{Total Cost} = \text{Fixed Fee} + (\text{Hourly Rate} \times \text{Number of hours}) \]

In this case, we can write the equation as: \[ 56 = 11 + 9x \]

Now, let's solve for \( x \):

1. Subtract the fixed fee from both sides: \[ 56 - 11 = 9x \] \[ 45 = 9x \]

2. Divide both sides by 9: \[ x = \frac{45}{9} \] \[ x = 5 \]

Therefore, Steve rented the bike for \( 5 \) hours.