The inequalty equations are constructed by noting a value in terms of another one using the expressions ">", "<" etc.
So here, the height of the class is 10.25 feet.
And you have to leave 1.5 feet space between the statue and the ceiling, so the maximum height that the statue can have is,
So the satue can have a height of this 8.75 ft or less than that, and we can write it as,