1. Suppose you want to cover the backyard with decorative rock and plant some trees as the first phase of the project. You need 30 tons of rock to cover the area. If each ton cost $60 and each tree is $75, what is the minimum number of trees you can buy with a budget for rock and trees of at least $2,500? Write an inequality that illustrates the problem and solve. Express your answer as an inequality and explain how you arrived at your answer.

30($60) + $75x > $2500

"At least" indicates that the $2500 is a minimum. If it is a maximum, the carat is reversed (<), indicating "less than."