The Cost of Parking in a Downtown Lot

We have two cases for the total cost, y as a function of the hours, x: Case 1: If x ≤ 2 hours In this case, the parking lot charges $5 per hour for the first 2 hours, so the total cost y is: y = 5x Case 2: If x > 2 hours In this case, the parking lot charges $5 per hour for the first 2 hours and then $2.50 per hour after that. So, we have: y = 5 * 2 + 2.50 * (x - 2) In summary, we have a piecewise function for the total cost y as a function of the hours x: y(x) = { 5x, if 0 ≤ x ≤ 2, 10 + 2.50 * (x - 2), if x > 2 }