Question

During a scuba dive, Lainey descended to a point 18 feet below the ocean surface. She continued her descent at a rate of 25 feet per minute. Write an inequality you could solve to find the number of minutes she can continue to descend if she does not want to reach a point more than 143 feet below the ocean surface. Use the variable t for time.

Answer 1

Inequality representation :

18 + 25t ≤ 143 ;

t = 5

Explanation:

Given that:

Initial dive, I = 18 feets

Descent rate, r = 25 feets / minute

Maximum depth reached = 143 feets

Time = t

Inequality representation :

18 + 25t ≤ 143

To solve for t

25t ≤ 143 - 18

25t ≤ 125

Divide both sides by 25

25t / 25 ≤ 125 / 25

t ≤ 5