Question

Rewrite the statement "the sum of a number and 13.8 is at most -4.2" as an inequality: -4.2 + b > 13.8 -4.2 + b < 13.8 b + 13.8 ≥ -4.2 b + 13.8 ≤ -4.2

Answer 1

To express the statement as an inequality, it is written as b + 13.8 ≤ -4.2, demonstrating the upper bound on the possible values of the number b.

Step-by-step explanation:

The given statement, "the sum of a number and 13.8 is at most -4.2," can be translated into an inequality as follows:

Let's denote the unknown number as b. The phrase 'the sum of a number and 13.8' means we are adding the number b to 13.8, which gives us b + 13.8. The phrase 'at most' indicates that this sum is less than or equal to another value, in this case, -4.2. Thus, the inequality is:

b + 13.8 ≤ -4.2

This inequality shows that no matter what value b takes, when it is added to 13.8, the result should be no more than -4.2. This bounds the possible values that b can take.