Question

Latrell has $8 to spend on postcards. He wants to buy 1 large postcard and some small ones. Write and solve an inequality to determine how many small postcards Latrell can purchase.
Large postcard $2
Medium postcard $1.50
Small postcard $1.25

Answer 1

To determine how many small postcards Latrell can purchase, we will first express the costs involved in terms of an inequality.

The cost for one large postcard is $2. He has a total of $8 to spend.

Let:
- \( x \) = number of small postcards Latrell buys

The cost of the small postcards is \( 1.25x \) (since each small postcard costs $1.25).

Now, we set up the inequality based on the total amount Latrell can spend:

\[
\text{Cost of one large postcard} + \text{Cost of small postcards} \leq \text{Total amount he has}
\]

Substituting the values, we get:

\[
2 + 1.25x \leq 8
\]

Next, we'll solve for \( x \):

1. Subtract 2 from both sides:
\[
1.25x \leq 8 - 2
\]
\[
1.25x \leq 6
\]

2. Divide both sides by 1.25:
\[
x \leq \frac{6}{1.25}
\]
\[
x \leq 4.8
\]

Since \( x \) must be a whole number (you can't buy a fraction of a postcard), we take the largest whole number less than or equal to 4.8, which is 4.

Therefore, Latrell can purchase a maximum of **4 small postcards**.