We assume all employees are either full-time or part-time.
36 = 24 + 12
If the number of full-time employees is 24 or less, the number of part-time employees must be 12 or more. (Thinking, based on knowledge of sums.)
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You can write the inequality in two stages.
- First, write and solve an equation for the number of full-time employees in terms of the number of part-time employees.
- Then apply the given constraint on full-time employees. This gives an inequality you can solve for the number of part-time employees.
Let f and p represent the numbers of full-time and part-time employees, respectively.
... f + p = 36 . . . . . . given
... f = 36 - p . . . . . . . subtract p. This is our expression for f in terms of p.
... f ≤ 24 . . . . . . . . . given
... (36 -p) ≤ 24 . . . . substitute for f. Here's your inequality in p.
... 36 - 24 ≤ p . . . . add p-24
... p ≥ 12 . . . . . . . . the solution to the inequality
