Micah is deciding what rooms of his house he is going to paint. He wants to spend no more than $150 on the paint and supplies. Which situation is represented by the inequality 150≥42.21+21.64x?

One possible situation is:

"Micah spends $42.21 on supplies and paint costs $21.64 per gallon. How many gallons of paint can he buy and not spend more than $150 total?"

Step-by-step explanation:

We know that Micah wants to spend no more than 150. This is why 150 is greater than or equal to the expression; he wants the money he has set aside, 150, to be more than or equal to the amount he spends.

42.21 is a set cost, since it is not multiplied by a variable.

21.64 is multiplied by x; this means that it is the cost of something he will be buying more than one of, and the cost will change with each additional item.

In a painting scenario, it is likely that the number of gallons of paint would be what we are trying to find and the supplies (brushes, pans, drop cloths, etc.) would be the fixed cost.

One possible situation is:

"Micah spends $42.21 on supplies and paint costs $21.64 per gallon. How many gallons of paint can he buy and not spend more than $150 total?"