104 (2-52) Chapter 2 Linear Equations and Inequalities in One Variable

A B S O L U T E V A L U E E Q U A T I O N S
A N D I N E Q U A L I T I E S
In Chapter 1 we learned that absolute value measures the distance of a number
from 0 on the number line. In this section we will learn to solve equations and
inequalities involving absolute value.
Absolute Value Equations
Solving equations involving absolute value requires some techniques that are dif-
ferent from those studied in previous sections. For example, the solution set to the
equation

x

5
is 5, 5 because both 5 and 5 are ve units from 0 on the number line, as shown
in Fig. 2.24. So

x

5 is equivalent to the compound equation
x 5 or x 5.
F I G U R E 2 . 2 4
The equation

x

0 is equivalent to the equation x 0 because 0 is the only
number whose distance from 0 is zero. The solution set to

x

0 is 0.
The equation

x

7 is inconsistent because absolute value measures
distance, and distance is never negative. So the solution set is empty. These ideas
are summarized as follows.
1 0 2 1 2 3 4 3 4 6 5 5 6
5 units 5 units
2.6
I n t h i s
s e c t i o n
G
Absolute Value Equations
G
Absolute Value Inequalities
G
Applications
Absolute Value Equation Equivalent Equation Solution Set

x

k (k 0) x k or x k k, k

x

0 x 0 0

x

k (k 0)
Basic Absolute Value Equations
h e l p f u l h i n t
Some students grow up be-
lieving that the only way to
solve an equation is to do the
same thing to each side.
Then along comes absolute
value equations. For an ab-
solute value equation we
write an equivalent com-
pound equation that is not
obtained by doing the same
thing to each side.
We can use these ideas to solve more complicated absolute value equations.
E X A M P L E 1 Absolute value equal to a positive number
Solve each equation.
a)

x 7

2 b)

3x 5

7
Solution
a) First rewrite

x 7

2 without absolute value:
x 7 2 or x 7 2 Equivalent equation
x 9 or x 5
The solution set is 5, 9. The distance from 5 to 7 or from 9 to 7 is 2 units.
2.6 Absolute Value Equations and Inequalities (2-53) 105
E X A M P L E 2 Absolute value equal to zero
Solve

2(x 6) 7

0.
Solution
Since 0 is the only number whose absolute value is 0, the expression within the
absolute value bars must be 0.
2(x 6) 7 0 Equivalent equation
2x 12 7 0
2x 5 0
2x 5
x
5
2

The solution set is

5
2

. I
E X A M P L E 3 Absolute value equal to a negative number
Solve 5 3x 7 4 14.
Solution
First subtract 4 from each side to isolate the absolute value expression:
5 3x 7 4 14 Original equation
5 3x 7 10 Subtract 4 from each side.
3x 7 2 Divide each side by 5.
There is no solution because no number has a negative absolute value. I
Use Y to set y
1
abs(x 7). Make a table to see that y
1
has
value 2 when x 5 or x 9. The table supports the conclu-
sion of Example 1(a).
h e l p f u l h i n t
Examples 1, 2, and 3 show
the three basic types of ab-
solute value equations
absolute value equal to a
positive number, zero, or a
negative number. These equa-
tions have 2, 1, and no solu-
tions, respectively.
b) First rewrite

3x 5

7 without absolute value:
3x 5 7 or 3x 5 7 Equivalent equation
3x 12 or 3x 2
x 4 or x
2
3

The solution set is

2
3
, 4

. I
c a l c u l a t o r c l o s e - u p
106 (2-54) Chapter 2 Linear Equations and Inequalities in One Variable
The equation in the next example has an absolute value on both sides.
E X A M P L E 4 Absolute value on both sides
Solve

2x 1

x 3

.
Solution
Two quantities have the same absolute value only if they are equal or opposites. So
we can write an equivalent compound equation:
2x 1 x 3 or 2x 1 (x 3)
x 1 3 or 2x 1 x 3
x 4 or 3x 2
x 4 or x
2
3

Check that both 4 and

2
3
satisfy the original equation. The solution set is

2
3
, 4
.
I
Absolute Value Inequalities
Since absolute value measures distance from 0 on the number line,

x

5
indicates that x is more than ve units from 0. Any number on the number line to
the right of 5 or to the left of 5 is more than ve units from 0. So

x

5 is
equivalent to
x 5 or x 5.
The solution set to this inequality is the union of the solution sets to the two
simple inequalities. The solution set is (, 5) (5, ). The graph of
x 5 is shown in Fig. 2.25.
F I G U R E 2 . 2 5
The inequality

x

3 indicates that x is less than or equal to three units from 0.
Any number between 3 and 3 inclusive satises that condition. So x 3 is
equivalent to
3 x 3.
The graph of

x

3 is shown in Fig. 2.26. These examples illustrate the basic
types of absolute value inequalities.
F I G U R E 2 . 2 6
4 0 1 3 3 2 1 2 4
5 0 6 1 2 3 5 7 8 4 6 7 8 1 2 3 4
s t u d y t i p
Many commuting students
nd it difcult to get help. Stu-
dents are often stuck on a
minor point that can be easily
resolved over the telephone.
So ask your instructor if he or
she will answer questions over
the telephone and during
what hours.
Absolute
Value Equivalent Solution Graph of
Inequality Inequality Set Solution Set
x k x k or x k (, k) (k, )
x k x k or x k (, k] [k, )
x k k x k (k, k)
x k k x k [k, k]
2.6 Absolute Value Equations and Inequalities (2-55) 107
We can solve more complicated inequalities in the same manner as simple
ones.
E X A M P L E 5 Absolute value inequality
Solve x 9 2 and graph the solution set.
Solution
Because x k is equivalent to k x k, we can rewrite x 9 2 as
follows:
2 x 9 2
2 9 x 9 9 2 9 Add 9 to each part of the inequality.
7 x 11
The graph of the solution set (7, 11) is shown in Fig. 2.27. Note that the graph
consists of all real numbers that are within two units of 9.
F I G U R E 2 . 2 7 I
E X A M P L E 6 Absolute value inequality
Solve 3x 5 2 and graph the solution set.
Solution
3x 5 2 or 3x 5 2 Equivalent compound inequality
3x 3 or 3x 7
x 1 or x
7
3

The solution set is

7
3

(1, ), and its graph is shown in Fig. 2.28.

F I G U R E 2 . 2 8 I
5 3 1 2 0 4 3 2 1
7

3
13 11 12 10 8 9 7 5 6
Basic Absolute Value Inequalities (k > 0)
Use Yto set y
1
abs(x 9).
Make a table to see that y
1
2
when x is between 7 and 11.
c a l c u l a t o r
c l o s e - u p
k k
k k
k k
k k
E X A M P L E 7 Absolute value inequality
Solve 5 3x 6 and graph the solution set.
Solution
6 5 3x 6 Equivalent inequality
11 3x 1 Subtract 5 from each part.

1
3
1
x
1
3
Divide by 3 and reverse each inequality symbol.

1
3
x
1
3
1
Write
1
3
on the left because it is smaller than
1
3
1
.
The solution set is

1
3
,
1
3
1

and its graph is shown in Fig. 2.29.

F I G U R E 2 . 2 9 I
There are a few absolute value inequalities that do not t the preceding
categories. They are easy to solve using the denition of absolute value.
E X A M P L E 8 Special case
Solve 3

7 2x

3.
Solution
Subtract 3 from each side to isolate the absolute value expression.

7 2x

0
Because the absolute value of any real number is greater than or equal to 0, the
solution set is R, the set of all real numbers. I
E X A M P L E 9 An impossible case
Solve

5x 12

2.
Solution
We write an equivalent inequality only when the value of k is positive. With 2 on
the right-hand side, we do not write an equivalent inequality. Since the absolute
value of any quantity is greater than or equal to 0, no value for x can make this
absolute value less than 2. The solution set is , the empty set. I
Applications
A simple example will show how absolute value inequalities can be used in
applications.
E X A M P L E 1 0 Controlling water temperature
The water temperature in a certain manufacturing process must be kept at 143F.
The computer is programmed to shut down the process if the water temperature is
2 4 5 3 1 1 2 0
1

3
11

3
108 (2-56) Chapter 2 Linear Equations and Inequalities in One Variable
Use Y to set y
1
abs(5
3x). The table supports the
conclusion that y 6 when x
is between
1
3
and
1
3
1
even
though
1
3
and
1
3
1
do not
appear in the table. For more
accuracy, make a table in
which the change in x is
1
3
.
c a l c u l a t o r
c l o s e - u p
more than 7 away from what it is supposed to be. For what temperature readings is
the process shut down?
Solution
If we let x represent the water temperature, then x 143 represents the difference
between the actual temperature and the desired temperature. The quantity x 143
could be positive or negative. The process is shut down if the absolute value of
x 143 is greater than 7.
x 143 7
x 143 7 or x 143 7
x 150 or x 136
The process is shut down for temperatures greater than 150F or less than 136F.
I
True or false? Explain your answer.
1. The equation

x

2 is equivalent to x 2 or x 2. True
2. All absolute value equations have two solutions. False
3. The equation

2x 3

7 is equivalent to 2x 3 7 or 2x 3 7.
False
4. The inequality

x

5 is equivalent to x 5 or x 5. True
5. The equation

x

5 is equivalent to x 5 or x 5. False
6. There is only one solution to the equation

3 x

0. True
7. We should write the inequality x 3 or x 3 as 3 x 3. False
8. The inequality

x

7 is equivalent to 7 x 7. False
9. The equation

x

2 5 is equivalent to

x

3. True
10. The inequality

x

2 is equivalent to x 2 and x 2. False
2.6 Absolute Value Equations and Inequalities (2-57) 109
Reading and Writing After reading this section, write out the
answers to these questions. Use complete sentences.
1. What does absolute value measure?
Absolute value of a number is the numbers distance from
0 on the number line.
2. Why does

x

0 have only one solution?
Only 0 is 0 units from 0 on the number line.
3. Why does

x

4 have two solutions?
Since both 4 and 4 are four units from 0,

x

4 has two
solutions.
4. Why is

x

3 inconsistent?
Since

x

0 for every real number x,

x

3 is
impossible.
5. Why do all real numbers satisfy

x

0?
Since the distance from 0 for every number on the number
line is greater than or equal to 0,

x

0.
W A R M - U P S
E X E R C I S E S 2. 6
6. Why do no real numbers satisfy

x

3?
Since x 0 for all x, x 3 is impossible.
Solve each absolute value equation. See Examples 13.
7.

a

5 8.

x

2 9.

x 3

1
5, 5 2, 2 2, 4
10.

x 5

2 11.

3 x

6 12.

7 x

6
3, 7 3, 9 1, 13
13.

3x 4

12 14.

5x 2

3

8
3
,
1
3
6

15.

2
3
x 8

0 16.

3
3
4
x

1
4

12

1
3
1
,
1
3
3

s t u d y t i p
When taking a test, try not to
spend too much time on a sin-
gle problem. If a problem is
taking a long time, then you
might be approaching it in-
correctly. Move on to another
problem and make sure that
you get nished with the test.
17.

6 0.2x

10 20, 80
18.

5 0.1x

0 50
19.

7(x 6)

3
20.

2(a 3)

15 10.5, 4.5
21.

2(x 4) 3

5 0, 5
22.

3(x 2) 7

6

5
3
,
7
3

23.

7.3x 5.26

4.215 0.143, 1.298
24.

5.74 2.17x

10.28 2.092, 7.382
Solve each absolute value equation. See Examples 3 and 4.
25. 3

x

5 2, 2
26.

x

10 3 7, 7
27. 2

x 3

6 11, 5
28. 4 3

x 2

8 2, 6
29. 5 4 0, 3
30. 3
1
2

1
2
x 4

2 4, 12
31.

x 5

2x 1

6,
4
3

32.

w 6

3 2w

3, 3
33.


5
2
x

2
2
x

1, 3
34.

x
1
4

1
2
x
3
4

1,
2
3

35.

x 3

3 x

(, )
36.

a 6

6 a

(, )
Write an absolute value inequality whose solution set is shown
by the graph. See Examples 57.
37.

x

2
38.

x

5
39.

x

3
40.

x

6
41.

x

1
42.

x

1
1 0 4 1 2 3 6 4 6 5 2 3 5
1 0 4 1 2 3 6 4 6 5 2 3 5
1 0 4 1 2 3 8 4 6 5 2 3 7 7 8 6 5
1 0 4 1 2 3 6 4 6 5 2 3 5
1 0 4 1 2 3 6 4 6 5 2 3 5
1 0 4 1 2 3 6 4 6 5 2 3 5

3 2x

3
110 (2-58) Chapter 2 Linear Equations and Inequalities in One Variable
43.

x

2
44.

x

4
Determine whether each absolute value inequality is equivalent
to the inequality following it. See Examples 57.
45.

x

3, x 3 No 46.

x

3, x 3 No
47.

x 3

1, x 3 1 or x 3 1 Yes
48.

x 3

1, 1 x 3 1 Yes
49.

x 3

1, x 3 1 or x 3 1 No
50.

x 3

0, x 3 0 No
51.

4 x

1, 4 x 1 and (4 x) 1 Yes
52.

4 x

1, 4 x 1 or (4 x) 1 Yes
Solve each absolute value inequality and graph the solution set.
See Examples 57.
53.

x

6
(, 6) (6, )
54.

w

3
(, 3) (3, )
55.

2a

6
(3, 3)
56.

3x

21
(7, 7)
57.

x 2

3
(, 1] [5, )
58.

x 5

1
(, 4] [6, )
59.
1
5

2x 4

1

1
2

9
2

60.
1
3

2x 1

1
(1, 2)
61. 2

5 x

14
[2, 12]
62. 3

6 x

3
[5, 7]
63. 2

3 2x

6 18

,
9
2

1
2
5
,

64. 2

5 2x

15 5

,
5
2

1
2
5
,

1 0 4 1 2 3 6 4 6 5 2 3 5
1 0 4 1 2 3 6 4 6 5 2 3 5
Solve each absolute value inequality and graph the solution set.
See Examples 8 and 9.
65.

x 2

0
(, 2) (2, )
66.

6 x

0 (, )
67.

x 5

0 (, )
68.

3x 7

3 (, )
69. 2

3x 7

6
70. 3

7x 42

18
71.

2x 3

6 0 (, )
72.

5 x

5 5
(, 5) (5, )
Solve each inequality. Write the solution set using interval
notation.
73. 1

x 2

(, 3) (1, )
74. 5

x 4

[1, 9]
75. 5

x

1 (4, 4)
76. 4

x

6 (, 10] [10, )
77. 3 5

x

2 (1, 1)
78. 1 2

x

7 (, 4) (4, )
79.

5.67x 3.124

1.68 (0.255, 0.847)
80.

4.67 3.2x

1.43 (, 1.0125] [1.90625, )
81.

2x 1

3 and 2x 3 2
82.

5 3x

3 and 5 2x 3

,
2
3

83.

x 2

3 and

x 7

3 (4, 5)
84.

x 5

4 and

x 6

2 (1, 4) (8, 9)
Solve each problem by using an absolute value equation or
inequality. See Example 10.
85. Famous battles. In the Hundred Years War, Henry V de-
feated a French army in the battle of Agincourt and Joan of
Arc defeated an English army in the battle of Orleans (The
Doubleday Almanac). Suppose you know only that these
two famous battles were 14 years apart and that the battle of
Agincourt occurred in 1415. Use an absolute value equa-
tion to nd the possibilities for the year in which the battle
of Orleans occurred.
1401 or 1429
86. World records. In July 1985 Steve Cram of Great Britain
set a world record of 3 minutes 29.67 seconds for the 1,500-
meter race and a world record of 3 minutes 46.31 seconds
for the 1-mile race (The Doubleday Almanac). Suppose
you know only that these two events occurred 11 days
apart and that the 1,500-meter record was set on July 16.
Use an absolute value equation to nd the possible dates
for the 1-mile record run.
July 5 or July 27
87. Weight difference. Research at a major university has
shown that identical twins generally differ by less than
6 pounds in body weight. If Kim weighs 127 pounds, then
2.6 Absolute Value Equations and Inequalities (2-59) 111
in what range is the weight of her identical twin sister
Kathy?
Between 121 and 133 pounds
88. Intelligence quotient. Judes IQ score is more than
15 points away from Sherrys. If Sherry scored 110, then in
what range is Judes score?
Greater than 125 or less than 95
89. Unidentied ying objects. The formula
S 16t
2
v
0
t s
0
gives height in feet above the earth at time t seconds for an
object projected into the air with an initial velocity of
v
0
feet per second (ft/sec) from an initial height of s
0
feet.
Two balls are tossed into the air simultaneously, one from
the ground at 50 ft/sec and one from a height of 10 feet at
40 ft/sec. See the accompanying graph.
a) Use the graph to estimate the time at which the balls are
at the same height.
b) Find the time from part (a) algebraically.
c) For what values of t will their heights above the ground
differ by less than 5 feet (while they are both in the air)?
a) 1 second b) 1 second c) 0.5 t 1.5
4 3 2 1 0
0
10
20
30
40
Time (seconds)
H
e
i
g
h
t

(
f
e
e
t
)
F I G U R E F O R E X E R C I S E 8 9
0 ft/sec
60 ft
80 ft/sec
F I G U R E F O R E X E R C I S E 9 0
90. Playing catch. Acircus clown at the top of a 60-foot plat-
form is playing catch with another clown on the ground.
The clown on the platform drops a ball at the same time as
the one on the ground tosses a ball upward at 80 ft/sec. For
what length of time is the distance between the balls less
than or equal to 10 feet? (Hint: Use the formula given in
Exercise 89. The initial velocity of a ball that is dropped is
0 ft/sec.) 0.25 second
GETTI NG MORE I NVOLVED
91. Discussion. For which real numbers m and n is each
equation satised?
a)

m n

n m

(, )
b)

mn

n

(, )
112 (2-60) Chapter 2 Linear Equations and Inequalities in One Variable
Everyday Algebra
Every day, people use algebra without even knowing it. Any
time you solve for an unknown quantity, you are using algebra.
Here is an example of a simple problem that you could solve
without even thinking of algebra.
While shopping Joe notices a store brand that is available at a
lower price than the name brand. If the name brand product
costs $3.79 and Joe has a coupon for $0.50, what would the
store brand price need to be for Joe to save money with the
coupon?
This is a problem you could solve mentally by subtracting
the two quantities and nding that if the store brand costs $3.29
or more, Joe would save money with the coupon. If the store
brand is less than $3.29, then Joe would save money by buying
it instead. The beauty of algebra is not apparent in cases like this
because you already know what operation to perform to nd the
unknown quantity. Algebra becomes useful when it is not clear
what to do.
We will consider another situation in which we want to nd
the best price of an item. For this situation we will use the fol-
lowing formulas.
The formula for markup of an item is
P C rC,
where P is the price of the item, C is the wholesale cost of the
item, and r is the percent of markup.
The formula for discounting an item is
S P dP,
where S is the discounted price and d is the percent discount.
Lane belongs to a wholesale buying club. She can order items
through the club with a markup of 8% above the wholesale
cost. She also can buy the same items in a store where she can
get a 10% discount off the shelf price. Lane wants to know
what the store markup on any particular item must be for it to
be cheaper to order through the club.
Form groups of two to four people. Assign a role to each per-
son: Recorder, Moderator, Messenger, or Quality Manager
(roles may be combined if there are fewer than four people in a
group). In your groups:
1. Decide how to rewrite Lanes problem using algebra. Decide
what the unknown quantities are and assign them variable
names.
2. Write the equations or inequalities on your paper using the
variables you dened above.
3. Solve the problem and state the groups decision on what
Lane should do.
Extension: Pick a similar problem from your own lives to use
algebra to solve.
c)

m
n

m
n

all reals except n 0

92. Exploration. a) Evaluate

m n

and

n

for
i) m 3 and n 5
ii) m 3 and n 5
iii) m 3 and n 5
iv) m 3 and n 5
b) What can you conclude about the relationship between

m n

and

n

?

m n

n

C O L L A B O R A T I V E A C T I V I T I E S
Grouping: Two to four students per group
Topic: Use of algebra in common occurrences