How to translate English into inequations

In order to be able to translate a given word problem into an equation, we must be able to take out all the given information to be used and apply it into solvable equations with labeled variables. When useful, we should also use diagrams and graphs to help us in solving the inequalities for a situation. Variables that are usually used, such as x, and y, are used to represent given pieces of information which will have to be solved as an optimization problem. Here is an example which will demonstrate an optimization problem. A wedding planner is hired to plan a wedding and is asked to create the tables and where everyone sits two sets of tables; the first set of tables contains 8 places and the other set of tables contains 10 places. Then we can assign x as the number of 8-seater tables and we can assign y as the number of 10-seater tables. The wedding planner is also given this additional information to work with: * The hall can accommodate no more than 60 tables at one time * There must be at least twice as many 10-seater tables as 8-seater tables * The bride and groom have decided that they will invite a maximum of 560 guests In order to be able to seat as many guests as possible and to make sure of the the maximum amount of tables that will be able to fit the guests, the wedding planner has to work around those constraints with the use of a polygon of constraints (pgoc) represented on a graph. This will be done with inequalities which will be understood from the English that was described above in the three points. Let First step is to assign a variable to each of the two types of tables available at the hall.

x: number of 8-seater tables. y: number of 10-seater tables.

Now we need to write a number of inequalities which will translate the information into linear inequalities which will determine the table arrangement in the hall. However, before we do, we need to understand the meaning of an inequality and how to write it in an equation. The table below shows the various possible words used when describing certain information and how the information is represented with a symbol:

Phrases
More than, greater than, bigger than, exceeds Less than, fewer than, lower than, smaller than More than or equal to, greater than or equal to, at least, no less than Less than or equal too, fewer than or equal to, at most, no more than, cannot exceed

Symbols

> <

We can now write the inequalities with the help of the table above.

Information # 1: The hall can fit no more than 60 tables at one time.
In this case, we know that the total number of tables both 8-seaters and 10-seaters cannot exceed 60. From the table, we see that the symbol for cannot exceed is . So the equation can be written as:

x + y 60
The graph that represents this inequality looks like this:

Information # 2: There must be at least twice as many 10-seater tables as 8seater tables
Here, we are told that the number of 10-seater tables must be at least twice as many as the 8seater tables. We multiply the number of 8-seater tables (x) by 2 and this number must be less than or equal to the 10-seater tables (y). This equation can be written as:

y 2x
This is the graph which represents this inequality:

Information # 3: The bride and groom have decided that they will invite a maximum of 560 guests
The number of guests will not exceed 560 guests. This means that the total number of seats will also not exceed 560. So since there will be a mix of 8-seater and 10-seater tables, the total number of seats around those tables must be a total that is no more than 560. With all the information given, the rule can be represented in this equation:

8x + 10y 560
This is the graph which represents this inequality:

Although in the information given we are not told that the number of tables cannot be negative, there are two main inequations that much be included in this situational problem which state these facts:

x0 y 0

We now have a total of five equations, which. When we combine each of these equations together on a graph, this is how the graph must look like:

A B

Once we have shaded the common area for all the inequalities, we end up with a polygon of constraints like the one above. We now have three vertices with which we will establish the number of tables with which the biggest number of guests can sit using the smallest number of tables possible. The coordinates of points A, B and C on the graph are: A: (0, 56) B: (20, 40) this point is the intersection of all three lines passing through that point. C: (0, 0)