Intervals and Inequalities

Lecture Notes

Abdul Rauf Nizami

October 2018
2

Number Line. A line with origin, positive direction, and unit distance is called
the number line.
Origin

-2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Number Line
• Corresponding to every real number there is a point on the number line.
• Corresponding to every point on the number line there is a real number.
• If r is the real number that corresponds to a point P on the number
line, then r is called the coordinate of P , written as P (r).
P(r)

0 r
Intervals. An interval is the set of all real numbers between two fixed numbers
a and b, called the endpoints.
• Interval is called closed if it contains both of its endpoints.
1
0 1
0
a b
[a, b] = {x ∈ R | a ≤ x ≤ b}

• Interval is called open if it contains neither of its endpoints.

a b
(a, b) = {x ∈ R | a < x < b}

• Interval is called half open (or half closed ) if it contains only one end-
point.
1
0 1
0
0
1 0
1
a b a b
(a, b] = {x ∈ R | a < x ≤ b} [a, b) = {x ∈ R | a ≤ x < b}

Inequalities. Expressions of the form x > 2, x < −1, x + 1 ≥ 2x − 3, etc. are

all inequalities.

Properties of Inequalities. If a, b, and c are real numbers, then:

1. a < b ⇒ a + c < b + c
2. a < b ⇒ a − c < b − c
3. a < b and c > 0 ⇒ ac < bc
4. a < b and c < 0 ⇒ ac > bc
5. a > 0 ⇒ a1 > 0
1 1
6. If a and b are both positive or both negative, then a < b ⇒ a > b

Example 1. Solve the inequality 2x − 1 < x + 3 and represent its solution set
on the number line.

Solution.
Step 1. (Simplification)
2x − x < 3+1
x < 4
 Intervals and Inequalities 3

Step 2. (Solution set and its graph)

S.S.: (−∞, 4)

Graph:
4
————————-Solution Ends——————————–
3 < 2x + 1 and represent its solution set
Example 2. Solve the inequality −x
on the number line.

Solution.
Step 1. (Simplification)
−x
− 2x < 1
3
−x − 6x
< 1
3
−7x
< 1
3
−3 −7x −3
( )× > ( )×1
7 3 7
−3
x >
7

Step 2. (Solution set and its graph)

S.S.: ( −3
7 , +∞)

Graph:
-3/7
————————-Solution Ends——————————–
6
Example 3. Solve the inequality x−1 ≥ 5 and represent its solution set on the
number line.

Solution.
Step 1. (Gathering terms)
6
−5 ≥ 0
x−1
6 − 5(x − 1)
≥ 0
x−1
6 − 5x + 5
≥ 0
x−1
11 − 5x
≥ 0
x−1
4 Intervals and Inequalities

Step 2. (Boundary points)

Solving the equations 11 − 5x = 0 and x − 1 = 0 we get x = 11 5 and x = 1.
These points divide the number line into three intervals (−∞, 1), (1, 11
5 ), and
( 11
5 , +∞).

Take x = 0, x = 2, and x = 3 as test points in (−∞, 1), (1, 11 11

5 ), and ( 5 , +∞),
respectively.

11−5x
• Since the test point x = 0 does not satisfy the inequality x−1 ≥ 0, the
whole interval (−∞, 1) does not satisfy the inequality.

11−5x
• Since the test point x = 2 satisfies the inequality x−1 ≥ 0, the whole
interval (1, 11
5 ) satisfies the inequality.

11−5x
• Since the test point x = 3 does not satisfy the inequality x−1 ≥ 0, the
whole interval ( 11
5 , +∞) does not satisfy the inequality.

11−5x
• Since the boundary point x = 1 does not satisfy the inequality x−1 ≥
0, it is not part of the solution set.

11 11−5x
• Since the boundary point x = 5 does satisfy the inequality x−1 ≥ 0,
it is part of the solution set.

Step 4. (Solution set and its graph)

S.S.: (1, 11
5 ]

Graph:

1
0
0
1
1 11/5

————————-Solution Ends——————————–

Example 4. Find all those numbers whose squares are greater or equal to two
less than thrice the numbers.

Solution.
Step 1. (Forming the inequality) Let x be the number that satisfies the con-
dition. Then

x2 ≥ 3x − 2.
 Intervals and Inequalities 5

Step 2. (Gathering terms)

x2 − 3x + 2 ≥ 0
x2 − 2x − x + 2 ≥ 0
x(x − 2) − 1(x − 2) ≥ 0
(x − 2)(x − 1) ≥ 0

Step 3. (Boundary points)

Solving the equations x − 2 = 0 and x − 1 = 0 we get the boundary points
x = 2 and x = 1. These points divide the number line into three intervals
(−∞, 1), (1, 2), and (2, +∞).

Take x = 0, x = 1.5, and x = 3 as test points in (−∞, 1), (1, 2), and (2, +∞),
respectively.

• Since the test point x = 0 satisfies the inequality (x − 2)(x − 1) ≥ 0, the

whole interval (−∞, 1) satisfies the inequality.

• Since the test point x = 1.5 does not satisfy the inequality (x − 2)(x −
1) ≥ 0, the whole interval (1, 2) does not satisfy the inequality.

• Since the test point x = 3 satisfies the inequality (x − 2)(x − 1) ≥ 0, the

whole interval (2, +∞) satisfies the inequality.

• Note that both the boundary points x = 1 and x = 2 satisfy the in-
equality (x − 2)(x − 1) ≥ 0, and hence are part of the solution set.

Step 4. (Solution set and its graph)

S.S.: (−∞, 1] ∪ [2, +∞)

Graph:
1
0 1
0
000000
111111
1 2
————————-Solution Ends——————————–
Practice Problems
1. x2 > x + 2
2. x−1
−2
≤ −x
1 2
3. x+2 < x−3
4. Find all numbers whose squares are less or equal to six more than the
numbers.

(I shall welcome your suggestions to improve these notes.)