Final answer:
The equation that represents the relationship between time and snow accumulation in inches is y = 2x, with y being the amount of snow in inches and x being the time in hours.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking for the equation that represents the relationship between the time snow is falling and the accumulation of snow in inches. We know that after 2 hours, there are 4 inches of snow. This can be viewed as a linear relationship, where the snowfall rate is constant over time. To find the equation, we use the rate of snowfall which can be represented as slope in the equation y = mx + b, where y is the amount of snow in inches, x is the time in hours, m is the slope (rate of snowfall), and b is the y-intercept (initial snow depth, which is zero in this case).
Since we have 4 inches in 2 hours, the slope (m) is 2 inches per hour. The equation is then y = 2x, with x being the time in hours and y being the snowfall in inches. This linear equation will help predict snow accumulation over time. It also implies, given the information that schools close when it snows more than three inches, that schools are indeed closed after this snowfall as per the conditions stated in the scenario.