Question

clarence had 6.5 cups of cereal in a food container in his pantry. he opened a new box of cereal and poured in enough to fill the 10 - cup container completely. let x represent how much cereal was in the box to start. which inequality describes the problem? 6.5 + x > 10 6.5 + x ≥ 10 solve the inequality. then, complete the sentence to describe the solution. there were at least \boxed{} cups of cereal in the box to start.

Explanation:

Step1: Select correct inequality

The container is filled completely, so total cereal is at least 10 cups. The inequality is $6.5 + x \geq 10$.

Step2: Isolate x via subtraction

Subtract 6.5 from both sides.
$6.5 + x - 6.5 \geq 10 - 6.5$

Step3: Calculate the solution

Simplify both sides to find x.
$x \geq 3.5$

Answer:

Correct inequality: $6.5 + x \geq 10$
There were at least $\boldsymbol{3.5}$ cups of cereal in the box to start.