If [tex]p[/tex] represents the pounds of poultry the caterer had originally, then serving 45 pounds from that amount would be subtracting it from the original amount, leaving them with [tex]p-45[/tex] pounds of poultry. We're told that this new weight is more than, or greater than, 10 pounds. The > sign captures that fact nicely. Our inequality then becomes:
[tex]p-45\ \textgreater \ 10[/tex]
Which means "p pounds of poultry, minus 45 pounds, is heavier than 10 pounds."
Edit: Solving that inequality by adding 45 to both sides, we find that
[tex]p \ \textgreater \ 55[/tex]
Which means that the caterer started with more than 55 pounds of poultry.
