Example

Practice: Modeling a Budget Application with a System of Linear Inequalities

Real-world budgeting limits and quantity conditions can be modeled using systems of linear inequalities. For example, Mary must purchase answer sheets and pencils for a test with a maximum budget of $400400. Pencils cost $22 and answer sheets cost $11. Additionally, the number of answer sheets needed is at least 55 more than the number of pencils. By translating these conditions—the total cost inequality and the quantity comparison inequality, plus the requirement for positive variables—into a mathematical system, one can graph the constraints to find the solution region. This modeled system can then be evaluated to determine if specific purchases, such as 100100 pencils and 100100 answer sheets or 150150 of each, are feasible within the budget.

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Updated 2026-05-25

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Ch.4 Systems of Linear Equations - Intermediate Algebra @ OpenStax

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