A college charged $2.00 to park a car in their garage and

additionally, $4.00 an hour for each hour parked. Tom paid

$20.00 to park there.

The equation to represent the situation, using x as a variable. is

20 = 2 + 4x

Step-by-step explanation:

Let x represent the number of hours parked

Since there is a $2 flat charge and each hour costs $4

The total cost can be calculated as → 2 + 4x

Since Tom paid $20:

→ 20 = 2 + 4x

→ 4x = 18

→ x = 4.5

That means Tom stayed 4.5 hours in the garage.