To find the correct inequality that represents Sarah's situation, let's break down the problem:
- Define
as the number of candy items Sarah buys. - Each item costs $3, so the total cost without the coupon is
. - Sarah has a coupon that provides a $5 discount, so her total effective spending will be
. - We want to express that Sarah will spend at most $26.
This means:
Thus, the correct inequality to represent Sarah's situation is: