Mrs. Valdez wanted to determine the number of people she could safely take in her car to the fun run. She determined that [tex]\( p \ \textless \ 5 \)[/tex].

Which statement best describes a possible number of people she can take in her car?

A. Mrs. Valdez can take 2 people because [tex]\( 2 \ \textless \ 5 \)[/tex].
B. Mrs. Valdez can take 3.5 people because [tex]\( 3.5 \ \textless \ 5 \)[/tex].
C. Mrs. Valdez can take 5 people because [tex]\( 5 \ \textless \ 5 \)[/tex].



Answer :

To determine the number of people Mrs. Valdez can safely take in her car to the fun run, we need to evaluate the given statements based on the condition [tex]\( p < 5 \)[/tex]. Let's examine each option carefully:

1. Mrs. Valdez can take -2 people because -2.
- This statement is not logical. The number of people Mrs. Valdez can take cannot be negative. Therefore, this statement is invalid.

2. Mrs. Valdez can take 2 people because [tex]\( 2 < 5 \)[/tex].
- This statement is valid because 2 is less than 5. It fits the condition [tex]\( p < 5 \)[/tex].

3. Mrs. Valdez can take 3.5 people because [tex]\( 3.5 < 5 \)[/tex].
- This statement mentions a non-integer value [tex]\( 3.5 \)[/tex], and while [tex]\( 3.5 < 5 \)[/tex] is mathematically correct, the number of people must be a whole number. Therefore, this statement is invalid.

4. Mrs. Valdez can take 5 people because [tex]\( 5 < 5 \)[/tex].
- This statement is incorrect because 5 is not less than 5. It does not fit the condition [tex]\( p < 5 \)[/tex].

Therefore, the correct statement is:
Mrs. Valdez can take 2 people because [tex]\( 2 < 5 \)[/tex].