Final answer:
To solve the inequality 8 times the sum of a number and 18 being at most -26, we translate it into the inequality 8(b + 18) ≤ -26, simplify to 8b ≤ -170, and solve to find b ≤ -21.25.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question involves creating an inequality to represent the given situation. We use the variable b for the unknown number. The inequality is written as: 8(b + 18) ≤ -26. To solve for b, we start by distributing the 8:
8b + 144 ≤ -26
Next, we subtract 144 from both sides:
8b ≤ -170
And finally, we divide both sides by 8 to isolate b:
b ≤ -21.25
This means that the number b must be less than or equal to -21.25 for the inequality to hold true.