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?

Question

A. 2h ≥ 50
B. -2h < 50
C. -2h ≥ 50
D. 2h < 50

Answer 1

To determine how long the dehumidifier can run before it becomes full, we need to set up an inequality based on the amount of water it removes over time.

The dehumidifier removes 2 quarts of water per hour. If we let \( h \) represent the number of hours the dehumidifier runs, the total amount of water removed by the dehumidifier after \( h \) hours is \( 2h \) quarts.

Since the dehumidifier can hold up to 50 quarts of water, we want to find the maximum time it can run without exceeding this amount. This can be represented by the inequality:

\[ 2h < 50 \]

Thus, the correct answer that represents how much time the dehumidifier can run before it becomes full is:

D. 2h < 50.