Inequalities
Inequalities are mathematical sentences comparing two quantities that are not equal (or possibly not equal). There are five inequality symbols:
| x ≠ 3 | x is not equal to 3 |
| x < 3 | x is less than 3 |
| x > 3 | x is greater than 3 |
x  3 |
x is less than or equal to 3 |
x  3 |
x is greater than or equal to 3 |
Graphing Inequalities in One Variable
The solutions of inequalities can be graphed on the number line as rays. If the inequality is "strict" (
or 
), we use an open dot to indicate that the endpoint of the ray is not part of the solution. For the other types of inequalities ( and ), we use a closed dot to indicate that the endpoint is part of the solution.
Example:
See also solving linear inequalities.
