Question

The depth of a crater in South Africa is --40 kilometers. The depth of a crater in Canada is -15 kilometers. Write an inequality to compare the depths of the craters. Then explain the meaning of the inequality.

Answer 1

An inequality to compare the depths of the craters in South Africa and Canada is -40 < -15, indicating that the South African crater is deeper than the Canadian crater.

Step-by-step explanation:

To compare the depths of the craters in South Africa and Canada, we write an inequality. Since the depths are negative values, with depth being below the surface, a smaller negative number represents a shallower crater. The depth of the crater in South Africa is --40 kilometers (which is likely a typo, and should probably be -40 kilometers), while the depth of the crater in Canada is -15 kilometers. Therefore, the inequality to compare the depths of the craters is:

-40 < -15

This inequality means that the crater in South Africa is deeper than the crater in Canada, because -40 is less than -15 in terms of depth below the surface.