Answered

Humans have a normal body temperature of [tex][tex]$98.6^{\circ} F$[/tex][/tex]. A temperature, [tex]$x$[/tex], that differs from normal by at least [tex]$2^{\circ} F$[/tex] is considered unhealthy. Which inequality could be used to determine whether a temperature is unhealthy?

A. [tex]|x-98.6| \leq 2[/tex]
B. [tex]|x-98.6|\ \textgreater \ 2[/tex]
C. [tex]|x-98.6| \geq 2[/tex]
D. [tex]|x-98.6|\ \textless \ 2[/tex]



Answer :

To determine whether a temperature [tex]\( x \)[/tex] is considered unhealthy based on its deviation from the normal human body temperature [tex]\( 98.6^{\circ} F \)[/tex], we need to assess how far [tex]\( x \)[/tex] is from [tex]\( 98.6 \)[/tex] degrees.

A temperature [tex]\( x \)[/tex] is considered unhealthy if it differs from the normal temperature by at least [tex]\( 2^{\circ} F \)[/tex]. This means the deviation should be more than [tex]\( 2^{\circ} F \)[/tex].

In mathematical terms, the absolute deviation of [tex]\( x \)[/tex] from [tex]\( 98.6 \)[/tex] can be expressed as:
[tex]\[ |x - 98.6| \][/tex]

We want this deviation to be more than [tex]\( 2^{\circ} F \)[/tex]. Therefore, the appropriate inequality should be:
[tex]\[ |x - 98.6| > 2 \][/tex]

This inequality states that the absolute difference between [tex]\( x \)[/tex] and [tex]\( 98.6 \)[/tex] must be greater than [tex]\( 2 \)[/tex] to be considered unhealthy.

Hence, the correct inequality to determine whether a temperature is unhealthy is:
[tex]\[ \boxed{|x - 98.6| > 2} \][/tex]