Final answer:
The equation that expresses the total cost in terms of the number of students in a class is y = 50 + 20x.
Step-by-step explanation:
The equation that expresses the total cost in terms of the number of students in a class is given by y = 50 + 20x, where y represents the total cost and x represents the number of students in the class.
The fixed cost of $50 per class is represented by the term 50, and the variable cost of $20 per student is represented by the term 20x.
For example, if there are 5 students in the class, the total cost would be y = 50 + 20(5) = 50 + 100 = $150.