Question

Melissa’s rent check is lost in the mail. There is a –$9 late fee charged to Melissa’s account for every day the rent is late. Her account started out at $0, and after the late fees showed a balance that was less than –$36. How many days late was the check?

Answer 1

Melissa's rent check was at least 4 days late since there's a –$9 late fee for each day the rent is late, and her account showed a balance less than –$36.

Step-by-step explanation:

Let's calculate the number of days Melissa's rent check was late based on the information provided:

• For each day the rent is late, there's a –$9 late fee.
• Melissa's account balance started at $0.
• Her account balance after the late fees is less than –$36.

To find out how many days late the check was, we can set up an inequality since we know the account balance is less than –$36. If –$9 is charged per day, and the total charge is less than –$36, we divide:

–$36 / (–$9/day) = 4 days

This means that in order for her balance to be less than –$36, the check must have been late for more than 4 days.