Malcolm has $638.54 in his checking account. He must maintain a $500 balance to avoid a fee. He wrote a check for $159.50 today. Write and solve an inequality to solve for the least amount of money he needs to deposit to avoid a fee.

638.54 + 159.50 − x ≥ 500; x ≥ $298.04
638.54 + 159.50 − x ≤ 500; x ≤ $298.04
638.54 − 159.50 + x ≥ 500; x ≥ $20.96
638.54 − 159.50 + x ≤ 500; x ≤ $20.96

Question

Malcolm has $638.54 in his checking account. He must maintain a $500 balance to avoid a fee. He wrote a check for $159.50 today. Write and solve an inequality to solve for the least amount of money he needs to deposit to avoid a fee.

 638.54 + 159.50 − x ≥ 500; x ≥ $298.04
 638.54 + 159.50 − x ≤ 500; x ≤ $298.04
 638.54 − 159.50 + x ≥ 500; x ≥ $20.96
 638.54 − 159.50 + x ≤ 500; x ≤ $20.96

evoker · Answer

Assume deposit and current money are additions while checks are subtractions.