Final answer:
It took 9 hours for the temperature to drop from 44°F to 26°F at a rate of 2 degrees per hour. An equation was set up and solved to find the number of hours, h, as 9 hours.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine how many hours it took for the temperature to drop from 44°F to 26°F at a rate of 2 degrees per hour, we can set up a simple equation. Let h represent the number of hours. The equation based on the given information is:
Initial temperature - (Rate of temperature drop × Number of hours) = Final temperature
44 - 2h = 26
Solving for h gives us:
44 - 26 = 2h
18 = 2h
h = 18 / 2
h = 9
So, it took 9 hours for the temperature to drop from 44°F to 26°F.