Question

A shopping mall parking garage charges $2 for the first half hour and $1.20 for each additional half hour (even if it is under 30 minutes). Write and solve and inequality to find how many hours you can park in the garage if you have $8 in cash

Answer 1

You can park in the garage for 5 hours 30 minutes

Solution:

Given that, shopping mall parking garage charges $2 for the first half hour and $1.20 for each additional half hour (even if it is under 30 minutes)

Therefore,

Cost for first half an hour = $ 2

Cost for each additional half an hour = $ 1.20

Let "x" be the number of each additional half hour

Therefore, total cost to pay is given as:

Total cost = Cost for first half an hour + (Cost for each additional half an hour)(number of each additional half hour)

Total cost = 2 + 1.20x

Given you have $ 8 in cash

$8 = 2 + 1.20x\\\\1.20x = 8 - 2\\\\1.20x = 6\\\\x = \frac{6}{1.20}\\\\x = 5$

Total hours parked = first half an hour + 5

Thus you can park in the garage for 5 hours 30 minutes