KS4 Mathematics
A4 Inequalities
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Contents
A4 Inequalities
A A4.1 Representing inequalities on number lines
A A4.2 Solving linear inequalities
A A4.3 Inequalities and regions
A A4.4 Inequalities in two variables
A A4.5 Quadratic inequalities
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Inequalities
An inequality is an algebraic statement involving the symbols
>, <, ≥ or ≤
For example,
x>3 means ‘x is greater than 3’.
x < –6 means ‘x is less than –6’.
x ≥ –2 means ‘x is greater than or equal to –2’.
x ≤ 10 means ‘x is less than or equal to 10’.
Sometimes two inequalities can be combined in a single
statement. For example,
If x > 3 and x ≤ 14 we can write
3 < x ≤ 14
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Reversing inequalities
Inequalities can either be read from left to right or from right to
left. For example,
5 > –3
can be read as ‘5 is greater than –3’ by reading from left to
right.
It can also be read as ‘–3 is less than 5’ by reading from right
to left.
In general,
x>y is equivalent to y<x
and
x≥y is equivalent to y≤x
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Representing inequalities on number lines
Suppose x > 2. There are infinitely many values that x could
have.
3
x could be equal to 3, 7.3, 54 11 , 18463.431 …
It would be impossible to write every solution down.
We can therefore represent the solution set on a number line
as follows:
–3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
A hollow circle, , at 2 means that this number is not included
and the arrow at the end of the line means that the solution set
extends in the direction shown.
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Representing inequalities on number lines
Suppose x ≤ 3. Again, there are infinitely many values that x
could have.
8
x could be equal to 3, –1.4, –94 17 , –7452.802 …
We can represent the solution set on a number line as
follows,
–3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
A solid circle, , at 3 means that this number is included
and the arrow at the end of the line means that the solution
set extends in the direction shown.
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Representing inequalities on number lines
Suppose –1 ≤ x < 4. Although x is between two values, there
are still infinitely many values that x could have.
16
x could be equal to 2, –0.7, –3 17 , 1.648953 …
We can represent the solution set on a number line as
follows:
–3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
A solid circle, , is used at –1 because this value is included
and a hollow circle, , is used at 4 because this value is not
included. The line represents all the values in between.
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Writing inequalities from number lines
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Representing inequalities on number lines
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Integer solutions
In the examples that we have looked at so far we have
assumed that the value of x can be any real number.
Sometimes we are told that x can only be an integer, that is a
positive or negative whole number.
For example,
–3 < x ≤ 5
List the integer values that satisfy this inequality.
The integer values that satisfy this inequality are
–2, –1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
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Integer solutions
Write down an inequality that is obeyed by the following
set of integers:
–4, –3, –2, –1, 0, 1.
There are four possible inequalities that give this solution set,
–5 < x < 2
–4 ≤ x < 2
–5 < x ≤ 1
–4 ≤ x ≤ 1
Remember that when we use < and > the values at either end
are not included in the solution set.
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Contents
A4 Inequalities
A A4.1 Representing inequalities on number lines
A A4.2 Solving linear inequalities
A A4.3 Inequalities and regions
A A4.4 Inequalities in two variables
A A4.5 Quadratic inequalities
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Solving linear inequalities
Look at the following inequality,
x+3≥7
What values of x would make this inequality true?
Any value of x greater or equal to 4 would solve this inequality.
We could have solved this inequality as follows,
x+3≥7
subtract 3 from both sides: x + 3 – 3 ≥ 7 – 3
x≥4
The solution has one letter on one side of the inequality
sign and a number on the other.
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Solving linear inequalities
Like an equation, we can solve an inequality by adding or
subtracting the same value to both sides of the inequality sign.
We can also multiply or divide both sides of the inequality by
a positive value. For example,
Solve 4x – 7 > 11 – 2x
add 7 to both sides: 4x > 18 – 2x
add 2x to both sides: 6x > 18
divide both sides by 6: x>3
How could we check this solution?
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Checking solutions
To verify that x>3
is the solution to 4x – 7 > 11 – 2x
substitute a value just above 3 into the inequality and then
substitute a value just below 3.
If we substitute x = 4 into the inequality we have
4 × 4 – 7 > 11 – 2 × 4
16 – 7 > 11 – 8
9>3 This is true.
If we substitute x = 2 into the inequality we have,
4 × 2 – 7 > 11 – 2 × 2
8 – 7 > 11 – 4
1>7 This is not true.
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Multiplying or dividing by negatives
Although most inequalities can be solved like equations we
have to take great care when multiplying or dividing both sides
of an inequality by a negative value.
The following simple inequality is true,
–3 < 5
Look what happen if we multiply both sides by –1,
–3 × –1 < 5 × –1
3 < –5
3 is not less than –5. To keep the inequality true we have to
reverse the inequality sign.
3 > –5
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Multiplying or dividing by negatives
Remember, when both sides of an inequality are multiplied or
divided by a negative number the inequality is reversed.
For example, 4 – 3x ≤ 10
subtract 4 from both sides: – 3x ≤ 6
divide both side by –3: x ≥ –2 The inequality sign is reversed.
We could also solve this type of inequality by collecting x terms
on the right and reversing the inequality sign at the end.
4 – 3x ≤ 10
add 3x to both sides: 4 ≤ 10 + 3x
subtract 10 from both sides: –6 ≤ 3x
divide both sides by 3: –2 ≤ x
x ≥ –2
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Solving combined linear inequalities
The two inequalities 4x + 3 ≥ 5 and 4x + 3 < 15 can be written
as a single combined inequality.
5 ≤ 4x + 3 < 15
We can solve this inequality as follows:
subtract 3 from each part: 2 ≤ 4x < 12
divide each part by 4: 0.5 ≤ x < 3
We can illustrate this solution on a number line as
–1 –0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4
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Solving combined linear inequalities
Some combined inequalities contain variables in more than
one part. For example,
x – 2 ≤ 3x + 2 ≤ 2x + 7
Treat this as two separate inequalities,
x – 2 ≤ 3x + 2 and 3x + 2 ≤ 2x + 7
– 2 ≤ 2x + 2 x+2≤7
– 4 ≤ 2x x≤5
–2≤x
We can write the complete solution as –2 ≤ x ≤ 5 and
illustrate it on a number line as:
–3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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Overlapping solutions
Solve the following inequality and illustrate the solution on a
number line.
2x – 1 ≤ x + 2 < 7
Treating as two separate inequalities,
2x – 1 ≤ x + 2 and x+2<7
x–1≤2 x<5
x≤3
If x < 5 then it is also ≤ 3. The whole solution set is therefore
given by x ≤ 3. This is can be seen on the number line:
–3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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Solutions in two parts
Solve the following inequality and illustrate the solution on a
number line:
4x + 5 < 3x + 5 ≤ 4x + 3
Treating as two separate inequalities,
4x + 5 < 3x + 5 and 3x + 5 ≤ 4x + 3
4x < 3x 5≤x+3
x<0 2≤x
x≥2
We cannot write these solutions as a single combined
inequality. The solution has two parts.
–3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
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Contents
A4 Inequalities
A A4.1 Representing inequalities on number lines
A A4.2 Solving linear inequalities
A A4.3 Inequalities and regions
A A4.4 Inequalities in two variables
A A4.5 Quadratic inequalities
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Vertical regions
Inequalities can be represented by regions on a graph.
A region is an area where all the points obey a given rule.
Suppose we want to find the region where
x>2
This means that we want to show the area of a graph where
the x-coordinate of every point is greater than 2.
Give the coordinates of three points
that would satisfy this condition.
For example (4, 1), (6, 5), and (3, –2)
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Vertical regions
We can represent all the points where the x-coordinate is
equal to 2 with the line x = 2.
y The region where x > 2
5 does not include points
4
where x = 2 and so we
x<2 3 x>2
2 draw this as a dotted line.
1 x
The region to the right of
–6 –5 –4 –3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
–1 the line x = 2 contains
–2 every point where x > 2.
–3
–4 The region to the left of
–5
the line x = 2 contains
every point where x < 2.
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Vertical regions 1
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Vertical regions 2
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Horizontal regions
Suppose we want to find the region where
y≤3
This means that we want to show the area of a graph where
the y-coordinate of every point is less than or equal to 3.
Give the coordinates of three points
that would satisfy this condition.
For example, (5, 1), (–3, –4), and (0, 2)
We can represent all the points where the y-coordinate is
equal to 3 with the line y = 3.
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Horizontal regions
The region where y ≤ 3 includes points where y = 3 and so we
draw y = 3 as a solid line.
y
5 The region below the line
y≥3 4 y = 3 contains every point
3
where y ≤ 3.
2
1 x
–6 –5 –4 –3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
–1 The region above the line
–2 y = 3 contains every point
y ≤ 3 –3 where y ≥ 3.
–4
–5
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Horizontal regions 1
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Horizontal regions 2
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Horizontal and vertical regions combined
When several regions are shown on the same graph it is usual
to shade out the unwanted regions.
This is so that the required area where the regions overlap
can easily be identified.
y For example, to show the
5 region where –4 < x < –1
4
3
and –1 < y ≤ 3,
2 1) Shade out the regions
1 x x < –4 and x > –1.
–6 –5 –4 –3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
–1 2) Shade out the regions
–2 y < –1 and y ≥ 3.
–3
–4 The unshaded region
–5 satisfies both –4 < x < –1
and –1 < y ≤ 3.
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Horizontal and vertical regions combined
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Contents
A4 Inequalities
A A4.1 Representing inequalities on number lines
A A4.2 Solving linear inequalities
A A4.3 Inequalities in two variables
A A4.4 Inequalities in two variables
A A4.5 Quadratic inequalities
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Inequalities in two variables
Linear inequalities can be given in two variables x and y.
For example,
x+y<3
The solution set to this inequality is made up of pair of values.
For example,
x = 1 and y = 1
x=4 and y = –5
x = –1 and y=0
These solutions are usually written as coordinate pairs as
(1, 1), (4, –5) and (–1, 0).
The whole solution set can be represented using a graph.
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Inequalities in two variables
We can represent all the points where the x-coordinate and
the y-coordinate add up to 3 with the line x + y = 3.
y The region where x + y < 3
5 does not include points
4
x+y>3 where x + y = 3 and so we
3
2 draw this as a dotted line.
1 x
The region below the line
–6 –5 –4 –3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
–1 x + y = 3 contains every
–2 point where x + y < 3.
x + y < 3 –3
–4 The region above the line
–5
x + y = 3 contains every
point where x + y > 3.
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Inequalities in two variables
When a line is sloping it may not always be obvious which
side of the line gives the required region.
We can check this by choosing a point (not on the line) and
substituting the x- and y-values of the point into the
inequality representing the required region.
If the point satisfies the inequality then it is in the region. If it
does not satisfy the inequality it is not in the region.
The easiest point to substitute is usually the point at the
origin, that is the point (0, 0).
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Inequalities in two variables
For example,
Is the point (0, 0) in the region 4y – 3x > 2?
Substituting x = 0 and y = 0 into 4y – 3x > 2 gives,
4×0–3×0>2
0>2
0 is not greater than 2 and so the point (0, 0) does not lie in
the required region.
The region representing 4y – 3x > 2 is therefore the region
that does not contain the point at the origin.
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Inequalities in two variables
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Combining inequalities in two variables 1
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Combining inequalities in two variables 2
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Real-life problems
A ferry cannot hold more than 30 tonnes. If it holds x
cars weighing 1 tonne each and y lorries weighing 3
tonnes each write down an inequality in x and y.
x + 3y ≤ 30
If 20 cars were already on board how
many more lorries could the ferry carry?
Substituting into x + 3y < 30 and solving for y,
20 + 3y ≤ 30
subtract 20 from both sides: 3y ≤ 10
divide both sides by 3: y ≤ 3.3 (to 1 d.p.)
The ferry can hold 3 more lorries.
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Real-life problems
Show the possible numbers of cars and lorries that
the ferry can carry on a graph.
Start by drawing the x-axis between 0 and 30 and y-axis
between 0 and 10.
Next draw the line x + 3y = 30
y
10
x + 3y = 30
x
0 30
The points on the graph represent the solution set.
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Contents
A4 Inequalities
A A4.1 Representing inequalities on number lines
A A4.2 Solving linear inequalities
A A4.3 Inequalities in two variables
A A4.4 Quadratic Inequalities
A A4.5 Quadratic inequalities
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Quadratic inequalities
When inequalities contain terms in x2 there are usually two
solutions. For example,
x2 < 4
Remember, x × x = x2 and –x × –x = x2
So we can write
(x)2 < 4 and (–x)2 < 4
take the square root: x<2 –x < 2
× –1 and reverse: x > –2
These solutions can be combined to give –2 < x < 2.
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Quadratic inequalities
Suppose we have
x2 > 4
We can write
(x)2 > 4 and (–x)2 > 4
take the square root: x>2 –x > 2
× –1 and reverse: x < –2
This solution is in two separate parts:
–5 –4 –3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5
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Quadratic inequalities
In more difficult problems there can be terms in both x2 and x.
x2 + x – 6 ≥ 0
factorize: (x + 3)(x – 2) ≥ 0
The inequality is equal to 0 when:
x+3=0 or x–2=0
x = –3 x=2
These values give the end points of the solution set:
–5 –4 –3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5
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Quadratic inequalities
To find the solution set substitute a value from each of the
following three regions
region 1 region 2 region 3
–5 –4 –3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5
into the original inequality, x2 + x – 6 ≥ 0.
When x = –4, –42 + –4 – 6 ≥ 0
16 – 4 – 6 ≥ 0
6≥0
This is true and so values in region 1 satisfy the inequality.
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Quadratic inequalities
To find the solution set substitute a value from each of the
following three regions
region 1 region 2 region 3
–5 –4 –3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5
into the original inequality, x2 + x – 6 ≥ 0.
When x = 0, 02 + 0 – 6 ≥ 0
–6 ≥ 0
This is not true and so values in region 2 do not satisfy the
inequality.
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Quadratic inequalities
To find the solution set substitute a value from each of the
following three regions
region 1 region 2 region 3
–5 –4 –3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5
into the original inequality, x2 + x + 6 ≥ 0.
When x = 3, 32 + 3 + 6 ≥ 0
9+3+6≥0
18 ≥ 0
This is true and so values in region 3 satisfy the inequality.
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Quadratic inequalities
We have shown that values in region 1 and region 3 satisfy the
inequality x2 + x + 6 ≥ 0.
region 1 region 2 region 3
–5 –4 –3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5
We can shown the complete solution set as follows:
–5 –4 –3 –2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5
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