Final answer:
The inequality to represent the forecast that at least 4 inches of snow will fall this winter is w ≥ 4, where w represents the snowfall in inches.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking to write an inequality using the variable w for the situation given by the weather forecast. The forecast stated that no less than 4 inches of snow will fall this winter. To write this as an inequality, we need to express that the amount of snowfall, represented by the variable w, will be equal to or more than 4 inches. Hence, the inequality that represents this situation is w ≥ 4.
This inequality means that the snowfall will be 4 inches or possibly more but not less than that amount. An inequality symbol is used to show the relationship between two metric measurements, and in this case, the 'greater than or equal to' symbol ( ≥ ) indicates that the snowfall will not be less than 4 inches.