Final answer:
The sentence 'Four times the sum of a number and 27 is at least 16' translates to the inequality 4(b + 27) ≥ 16, using the variable b as the unknown number.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks us to translate the sentence 'Four times the sum of a number and 27 is at least 16' into an inequality using the variable b for the unknown number.
To turn this sentence into an inequality, first, we add the number b and 27 to get the sum. Then we multiply this sum by four, because the sentence says 'four times the sum.' Finally, 'at least 16' means the result should be greater than or equal to 16. So, the inequality can be written as 4(b + 27) ≥ 16.