Answer: The hourly charge for the rototiller is $3.
Step-by-step explanation:
Let h denote the hourly rate for the rototiller rental.
The rental provider imposed a base fee of $43 in addition to a charge per hour. Assuming the rototiller was rented for x hours, the cost incurred would total
43 + hx.
If they paid $64 for 7 hours of rental, the equation representing this situation would be
43 + 7h = 64.
Resolving gives us 7h = 64 - 43 = 21.
Therefore, h = 21/7 = $3.