Math Problem Statement

Michael starts with $250 in his bank account. Every week he withdraws $20 for miscellaneous expenses. For how many weeks could he withdraw the money if he maintains a balance of at least $90? Write an inequality to represent the situation. Use x to represent the number of weeks. Nice! You just wrote an inequality to represent the situation. Now solve the associated equation, 250 - 20x = 90, to find the boundary for the inequality. Show your work or solve on paper. 250 - 20x ≥ 90 250−20x

90

x

You got it! Fill in the table to show whether a value below the boundary, the boundary, and a value above the boundary make the inequality true or false. x= 7 x=8 (boundary) x= 9 250 - 20x ≥ 90

Solution

Let's work through the problem step by step.

Step 1: Write the inequality

Michael starts with $250 and withdraws $20 per week. He wants to maintain a balance of at least $90. This situation can be written as:

25020x90250 - 20x \geq 90

Where xx represents the number of weeks.

Step 2: Solve the associated equation

Now, let's solve the equation 25020x=90250 - 20x = 90 to find the boundary.

25020x=90250 - 20x = 90

  1. Subtract 250 from both sides: 20x=90250-20x = 90 - 250 20x=160-20x = -160

  2. Divide both sides by -20: x=16020x = \frac{-160}{-20} x=8x = 8

So, the boundary is at x=8x = 8 weeks.

Step 3: Fill in the table

Now, let's evaluate the inequality 25020x90250 - 20x \geq 90 for values below, at, and above the boundary: x=7x = 7, x=8x = 8, and x=9x = 9.

25020x90250 - 20x \geq 90

  • For x=7x = 7: 25020(7)=250140=110250 - 20(7) = 250 - 140 = 110 11090110 \geq 90 (True)

  • For x=8x = 8 (boundary): 25020(8)=250160=90250 - 20(8) = 250 - 160 = 90 909090 \geq 90 (True)

  • For x=9x = 9: 25020(9)=250180=70250 - 20(9) = 250 - 180 = 70 709070 \geq 90 (False)

Final Table:

xx25020x90250 - 20x \geq 90True/False
x=7x = 7250140=11090250 - 140 = 110 \geq 90True
x=8x = 8250160=9090250 - 160 = 90 \geq 90True
x=9x = 9250180=7090250 - 180 = 70 \geq 90False

Thus, Michael can withdraw money for up to 8 weeks while maintaining a balance of at least $90.


Would you like any more details or explanations on this?

Here are 5 related questions you can try:

  1. What if Michael increased his withdrawals to $25 per week? How many weeks could he withdraw while keeping a balance of at least $90?
  2. How much balance would he have after 10 weeks of withdrawing $20 per week?
  3. If Michael deposited $50 every 4 weeks while withdrawing $20 weekly, how would the inequality change?
  4. How would the solution change if Michael wanted to maintain a balance of at least $100 instead of $90?
  5. What is the total amount Michael would have withdrawn after 6 weeks?

Tip: When solving inequalities, remember that dividing or multiplying by a negative number reverses the inequality sign!

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Algebra
Linear Inequalities

Formulas

Inequality 250 - 20x ≥ 90

Theorems

Basic Inequality Theorem

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 6-8