A large dehumidifier removes 2 quarts of water from the air around it per hour. The dehumidifier can hold up to 50 quarts of water. Which inequality represents how much time the dehumidifier can run before it becomes full?

Answer 1

To determine how much time the dehumidifier can run before it becomes full, we can set up an inequality.

Let \( t \) represent the time in hours that the dehumidifier runs. Since the dehumidifier removes 2 quarts of water per hour, after \( t \) hours, the amount of water removed will be \( 2t \) quarts.

The dehumidifier can hold a maximum of 50 quarts of water. Therefore, the amount of water removed cannot exceed this capacity. We can represent this with the following inequality:

\[ 2t \leq 50 \]

This inequality states that the amount of water removed (which is \( 2t \)) must be less than or equal to the maximum capacity of the dehumidifier (which is 50 quarts).