Final answer:
Katrina can buy a maximum of 7 pies with $35 if each pie costs $4.50, as determined by dividing 35 by 4.50 and rounding down to the nearest whole number.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks us to determine the greatest whole number of pies that Katrina can buy with $35 if each pie costs $4.50. To solve this, we use the inequality 4.50p ≤ 35. This represents the cost (4.50 times the number of pies p) that must be less than or equal to $35.
First, we divide both sides of the inequality by 4.50 to find the maximum number of pies:
p ≤ 35 / 4.50
We calculate this as:
p ≤ 7.777...
Since Katrina can only buy whole pies, we must round down to the nearest whole number. Therefore, Katrina can buy a maximum of 7 pies.