Final answer:
The theater must sell at least 244 tickets to profit at least $1,200. This is determined by setting up the inequality 8x ≥ 1,950, where x is the number of tickets sold and solving for x.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine how many tickets the theater must sell to profit at least $1,200, we need to set up an inequality. Let's denote the number of tickets that need to be sold as x.
The cost to put on each performance is $750, and the income from selling x tickets at $8 each is 8x. To achieve a profit of at least $1,200, the income from ticket sales must be at least the sum of the cost to put on the show ($750) and the desired profit ($1,200). This gives us the following inequality:
8x ≥ 750 + 1,200
If we simplify the inequality by combining the costs and desired profit, we get:
8x ≥ 1,950
Now we solve for x by dividing both sides of the inequality by 8:
x ≥ 243.75
Since we cannot sell a fraction of a ticket, the theater must sell at least 244 tickets to make a profit of at least $1,200.