Question

example 3

1. engineering tolerance is an allowance made for imperfections in a manufactured object. the manufacturer of an oven specifies a temperature tolerance of ±15°f. this means that the temperature inside the oven will be within 15°f of the temperature to which it is set. write and solve an absolute - value equation to find the maximum and minimum temperatures inside the oven when the thermostat is set to 400°f.

Explanation:

Step1: Define the absolute - value equation

Let $x$ be the actual temperature inside the oven. The thermostat is set to $400^{\circ}F$ and the tolerance is $\pm15^{\circ}F$. The absolute - value equation is $|x - 400|=15$.

Step2: Solve the absolute - value equation

Case 1: $x−400 = 15$. Add 400 to both sides: $x=15 + 400=415$.
Case 2: $x−400=-15$. Add 400 to both sides: $x=-15 + 400 = 385$.

Answer:

The maximum temperature is $415^{\circ}F$ and the minimum temperature is $385^{\circ}F$.