INEQUALITIES

1
INEQUALITIES

Terminology

Symbols Notations Meaning
<
a < b a less than b
>
a > b a greater than b

a b a less than or equal to b

a b a greater than or equal to b


Examples

Translate the sentences into inequalities.

1. A number less 5 is greater than 7.

2. The sum of 3 and a number is less than or equal to 9.

3. The distance to Batu Pahat is less than 100 miles.

4. A number plus 3 is greater than or equal to 12.

5. A number minus 4 is greater than 2.

6. The sum of x and 5 is less than or equal to 2.

7. The sum of number and 2 more than the number is less than 20.

8. The sum of x and 3 is greater than or equal to 15.

Answer.

















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Match each statement with an inequality.


Inequality


The sum of a number and five more than the
number is less than fifteen.
a. n + 7 15

A number times five is greater than fifteen. b. n + 9 < 30

A number less negative seven is less than or
equal to five.
c. n - 7 < 0

The difference between a number and seven is
less than zero.
d. 5n > 15

The sum of a number and seven is greater than
or equal to fifteen.
e. n - (-7) < 5

A number is greater than fifteen. f. 2n < 20

Twice a number is less than twenty. g. n > 15

The sum of a number and nine is less than thirty. h. n + (n + 5) < 15


Are these statements true or false? True False
(1) In the expression 2n + 4, the coefficient of n is 4.

(2) "Five increased by twice a number" can be written as 10 + n.

(3) 2 is a real number.

(4)

(5) "Seven less than a number equals nine" can be written as n - 7 = 9.

(6) "Twice a number is greater than 15" can be written as .

(7)

(8) "Five less than four times a number" can be written as 5 - 4n.



Theorem

If a and b are real numbers and a < b, then

(i) For any real number c, a + c < b + c.

(ii) For real numbers c and d, if c < d, then a + c < b + d.

(iii) For any real number c > 0, a . c < b . c.

(vi) For any real number c < 0, a . c > b . c.





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Intervals

Intervals Set of number Graph of real line
1. Open interval (a, b) = {x | a < x < b}


2. Half-closed interval (a, b] = {x | a < x b}


3. Half-closed interval [a, b) = {x | a x < b}


4. Closed interval [a, b] = {x | a x b}




Solving inequalities
See: http://www.sosmath.com/algebra/inequalities/ineq01/ineq01.html

1. Consider the inequality

Solution




All real numbers less than 1 solve the inequality. We say that the "set of solutions'' of
the inequality consists of all real numbers less than 1. In interval notation, the set of
solutions is the interval (, 1).
2. Find all solutions of the inequality

Solution




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All real numbers greater than or equal to -1 satisfy the inequality. The set of solutions
of the inequality is the interval [1, ).
3. Solve the inequality

Solution








In interval notation, the set of solutions looks like this: (, 11/4).
Exercises
1. Find all solutions of the inequality 3x + 2 > 5.
Answer. x > 1
2. Solve the inequality 5 3x 3.
Answer. x 2/3
3. Solve the inequality
3
2
2
3

+ x
.
Answer. x -5/3
4. Find all solutions of the inequality x
2
1.
Answer. Empty set
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Absolute Value Inequalities
The standard definition for the absolute value function is given by


Theorem
(a) If a is any real number, and b are any positive real numbers, then

Inequalities Intervals Inequalities Intervals

| x | < a

a < x < a


| x a | < b

a b < x < a + b


| x | > a


x < a or x > a

| x a | > b


x < a b or x > a + b

| x | a


a x a


| x a | b


a b x a + b


| x | a

x a or x a


| x a | b

x a b or x a + b


(b) If a is any positive real number, then

(i) a | b | = | a b | (ii)
a
b
a
b
=
| |


Examples
See: http://www.sosmath.com/algebra/inequalities/ineq03/ineq03.html

1. Find the set of solutions for | x | < 5.
Solution

Obviously we are talking about the interval (5, 5).
2. What about the solutions to | x | 2?
Solution

We can write this interval notation as (, 2] [2, ).
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3. What is the geometric meaning of | x y |?
Solution
| x y | is the distance between x and y on the real number line.

4. Find the solutions to the inequality | x 2 | 1.
Solution

We are talking about the numbers in the interval [1, 3].

5. Find the solutions to the inequality | x + 1 | 3.
Solution

The set of solutions is (, 4] [2, ).
6. Find the solutions to the inequality | 2x 5 | < 2.
Solution



So the original inequality has as its set of solutions the interval
|

\
|
2
7
,
2
3
.

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7. Find the solutions to the inequality | 3x | 2.
Solution



The set of solutions is given by

\
|
|

+ +
(

(
,
3
2
3 3
2
3
,

.
8. Find the solutions to the inequality | x 3 | < 2x 4.
Solution
Let's first consider only those values of x for which x 3 0:
Case 1: x 3
In this case we know that | x 3 | = x 3, so our inequality becomes x 3 < 2x 4.
Solving the inequality, we obtain x > 1.

We have found some solutions to our inequality:
x is a solution if x 3 and x > 1 at the same time! We're talking about numbers
x 3.
Case 2: x < 3
This time x 3 < 0, so | x 3 | = (x 3) = 3 x, so our inequality is 3 x < 2x 4.
Applying the standard techniques, this can be simplified to x >
3
7
.

Our inequality has some more solutions:

Under our case assumption x < 3, solutions are those real numbers which
satisfy x >
3
7
. We're talking about numbers in the interval (
3
7
, 3).

Combining the solutions we found for both cases, we conclude that the set of
solutions for the inequality | x 3 | < 2x 4 are the numbers in the interval
|

\
|
+ ,
3
7
.

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Exercises
1. Find the solutions of the inequality | x | 2.
Answer. [-2, 2]
2. Find the solutions of the inequality | 2x | 6.
Answer. (, 3) and [3, )
3. Find the solutions of the inequality | x 3 | > 5.
Answer. (, 2) and (8, )
4. Find the solutions of the inequality | x + 2 | 3.
Answer. [-5, 1]
5. Find the solutions of the inequality | 2x 5 | > x + 1.
Answer. (, 4/3) (6, )


























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Applications

1. Your new cell phone plan has a monthly access fee of RM28.72 with a flat rate of
RM0.31 per minute. If you want to keep your monthly bill under RM40, how many
minutes per month can you talk on your new cell phone?
Answer. x < 36.38709677

2. The antifreeze added to your car's cooling system claims that it will protect your car
to 35C and 120C. The coolant will remain in a liquid state as long as the
temperature in Celsius satisfies the inequality 35 < C < 120. Write this inequality
in degrees Fahrenheit.
Answer. 31 < F < 248

3. Ashley has a RM20 bill and needs to buy three Hallmark Blossom birthday cards at
RM2.55 each. With the left over money she would like to buy as many Paw Note
thank you cards as possible. If the thank you cards cost RM2.99 each, how many
thank you cards can she purchase? An algebraic solution is expected.
Answer. 4 thank you cards

4. In 1958, NASA began its search for astronauts for project Mercury, the first man-in-
space program. The initial qualifications for astronaut candidates specified males
between 25 and 40 years of age, who were at least 1.514 m and 10.16 cm tall but no
taller than 1.514 m and 27.94 cm. Write and graph a system of inequalities that
represent the range of heights and ages for qualifying astronauts.
Answer. 25 < a < 40, 1.6156 h 1.7934

5. Katie works a part-time job at the Fallbrook Riding Stable. She makes RM5 an hour
for exercising horses and RM10 an hour for cleaning stalls. Because Katie is a full-
time student, she cannot work more than 12 hours per week. Graph two inequalities
that illustrate how many hours Katie needs to work at each job if she plans to earn not
less than RM90 per week.
Answer. x + y < 12, x(5) + y(10) > 90

6. Forensic scientists use the equation
h = 2.6l + 47.2

to estimate the height h of a woman given the length l in centimeters of her femur
bone. Suppose the equation has a margin of error of 4 centimeters and the length of
a female skeleton's femur is 48 centimeters. Write and solve an absolute value
inequality that describes the woman's height in centimeters.
Answer.168 centimeters < h < 176 centimeters

7. At the Brooks Graphic Company, the average starting salary for a new graphic
designer is RM37 600, but the actual salary could differ from the average by as much
RM2 590.
(a) Write an absolute value inequality to describe this situation.
(b) Solve the inequality to find the range of the starting salaries.
Answer. (a) | x 37 600| 2 590, (b) RM35 010 x RM40 190


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Modeling with Inequalities

Model the following statement but do not solve it.


1. A small company manufactures professional scissors for commercial use and
standard scissors for home use; both models are popular and sell as quickly as the
company can produce them. Each professional scissors requires 5 units of steel to
produce and sells for RM12. Each standard scissors requires 2 units of steel to
produce and sells for RM4. The company has 10 000 units of steels in inventory,
with another delivery due the following day. How many items of each type should
the company schedule for production if it wants its sales to at least cover its
daily payroll of RM12 000?


2. A wood cabinet manufacturer produces cabinets for television consoles and frames
for grandfather clocks, both of which must be assembled and decorated. Every
television cabinet requires 3 hours to assemble and 5 hours to decorate, while each
grandfather clock frame requires 10 hours to assemble and 8 hours to decorate. The
manufacturer has 33 000 hours available each week for assembling these products
(825 assemblers working 40 hours per week) and 42 000 hours available each week
for decorating (1 050 decorators working 40 hours per week). How many of each
product can the manufacturer schedule for production each week?


3. Continental Motors manufactures taxis and airport limousines at its two plants. Plant
A produces 75 taxis and 6 limousines daily, while plant B produces 50 taxis and 2
limousines each day. To fulfill contractual obligations for March, the company must
manufacture 3 000 taxis and 186 limousines. How many days should each plant
operate in March to fulfill these contractual obligations?


Answer.

Model 1

Important factors
P = number of professional scissors
to produce
S = number of standard scissors to
produce

Objective
Find P and S

Constraints
5P + 2S < 10 000
12P + 4S > 12 000
P, S > 0

Model 2

Important factors
x = number of television cabinets
to produce
y = number of grandfather clock
frames to produce

Objective
Find x and y

Constraints
3x + 10y < 33 000
5x + 8y < 42 000
x, y > 0
Model 3

Important factors
x = number of days Plant A will
operate in March
y = number of days Plant B will
operate in March

Objective
Find x and y

Constraints
75x + 50y > 3 000
6x + 2y > 186
x, y > 0,
x, y < 31