Question

Joe's canoe charges an initial fee of $20 plus $4 an hour. Callie's canoe charges a flat rate of $14 an hour find the number of hours for which the total amount that both places charge would be the same

Answer 1

Initial fee charged by Joe's canoe = $20
Hourly charge of Joe's canoe = $4
Hourly charge of Callie's canoe = $14
No initial fee is taken by Callie's canoe.
Let us assume the number of hours after which both places charges will be the same = x hours
Then
20 + 4x = 14x
20 = 14x - 4x
20 = 10x
x = 20/10
   = 2
So after 2 hours the charges taken by both of them will be the same. I hope the procedure is easy and clear enough for you to understand.

Answer 2

J=$20+$4x
C=$14x
$20+$4x=$14x
$10x=$20
x=2 hours