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Solving inequalities
mc-TY-inequalities-2009-1
Inequalities are mathematical expressions involving the symbols >, <, ≥ and ≤. To ‘solve’ an
inequality means to find a range, or ranges, of values that an unknown x can take and still satisfy
the inequality.
In this unit inequalities are solved by using algebra and by using graphs.
In order to master the techniques explained here it is vital that you undertake plenty of practice
exercises so that they become second nature.
After reading this text, and/or viewing the video tutorial on this topic, you should be able to:
• solve simple inequalities using algebra
• solve simple inequalities by drawing graphs
• solve inequalities in which there is a modulus symbol
• solve quadratic inequalities
Contents
1. Introduction 2
2. Manipulation of inequalities 2
3. Solving some simple inequalities 3
4. Inequalities used with a modulus symbol 5
5. Using graphs to solve inequalities 7
6. Quadratic inequalities 8
www.mathcentre.ac.uk 1 c mathcentre 2009

1. Introduction
The expression 5x − 4 > 2x + 3 looks like an equation but with the equals sign replaced by an
arrowhead. It is an example of an inequality.
This denotes that the part on the left, 5x − 4, is greater than the part on the right, 2x + 3. We
will be interested in finding the values of x for which the inequality is true.
We use four symbols to denote inequalities:
Key Point
> is greater than
≥ is greater than or equal to
< is less than
≤ is less than or equal to
Notice that the arrowhead always points to the smaller expression.
2. Manipulation of inequalities
Inequalities can be manipulated like equations and follow very similar rules, but there is one
important exception.
If you add the same number to both sides of an inequality, the inequality remains true.
If you subtract the same number from both sides of the inequality, the inequality remains true.
If you multiply or divide both sides of an inequality by the same positive number, the inequality
remains true.
But if you multiply or divide both sides of an inequality by a negative number, the inequality is
no longer true. In fact, the inequality becomes reversed. This is quite easy to see because we
can write that 4 > 2. But if we multiply both sides of this inequality by −1, we get −4 > −2,
which is not true. We have to reverse the inequality, giving −4 < −2 in order for it to be true.
This leads to difficulties when dealing with variables, because a variable can be either positive or
negative. Consider the inequality
x2
> x
It looks as though we might be able to divide both sides by x to give
x > 1

But, in fact, we cannot do this. The two inequalities x2
> x and x > 1 are not the same. This
is because in the inequality x > 1, x is clearly greater than 1. But in the inequality x2
> x we
have to take into account the possibility that x is negative, since if x is negative, x2
(which must
be positive or zero) is always greater than x. In fact the complete solution of this inequality is
x > 1 or x < 0. The second part of the solution must be true since if x is negative, x2
is always
greater than x. We will see in this unit how inequalities like this are solved. Great care has to be
taken when solving inequalities to make sure you do not multiply or divide by a negative number
by accident. For example
saying that x > y, implies that x2
> y2
only if x and y are positive.
We can see the necessity of the condition that both x and y are positive by considering x = 1
and y = −10. Since x is positive and y negative it follows that x > y; but x2
= 1 and y2
= 100
and so y2
> x2
.
Key Point
When solving an inequality:
• you can add the same quantity to each side
• you can subtract the same quantity from each side
• you can multiply or divide each side by the same positive quantity
If you multiply or divide each side by a negative quantity, the inequality symbol must be reversed.
3. Solving some simple inequalities
Suppose we want to solve the inequality x + 3 > 2.
We can solve this by subtracting 3 from both sides:
x + 3 > 2
x > −1
So the solution is x > −1. This means that any value of x greater than −1 satisfies x + 3 > 2.
Inequalities can be represented on a number line such as that shown in Figure 1. The solid line
shows the range of values that x can take. We put an open circle at −1 to show that although
the solid line goes from −1, x cannot actually equal −1.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
Figure 1. A number line showing x > −1.

Example
Suppose we wish to solve the inequality 4x + 6 > 3x + 7.
First we subtract 6 from both sides to give
4x > 3x + 1
Now we subtract 3x from both sides:
x > 1
This is the solution. It can be represented on the number line as shown in Figure 2.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
Figure 2. A number line showing x > 1.
Example
Suppose we wish to solve 3x − 5 ≤ 3 − x.
We start by adding 5 to both sides:
3x ≤ 8 − x
Then add x to both sides to give
4x ≤ 8
Finally dividing both sides by 4 gives
x ≤ 2
This is shown on the number line in Figure 3. The closed circle denotes that x can actually equal
2.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
Figure 3. A number line showing x ≤ 2.
Example
Suppose we wish to solve the inequality −2x > 4.
In order to solve this we are going to divide both sides by −2, and we need to remember that
because we are dividing by a negative number we must reverse the inequality.
x < −2
There is often more than one way to solve an inequality. We are going to solve this one again
by using a different method. Starting with −2x > 4 we could add 2x to both sides to give
0 > 4 + 2x
Then we could subtract 4 from both sides giving
−4 > 2x
and finally dividing both sides by 2 gives
−2 > x
Saying that x is less that −2 is the same as saying −2 is greater than x, so both forms are
equivalent.

Exercises 1
1. Draw a number line representation of each of the following inequalities:
a) x > 3 b) x ≤ 2 c) −1 < x ≤ 2
d) x ≥ 5 e) 4 ≤ x < 9 h) −6 < x < 2
2. Give the inequality which produces the range shown in each of the figures below.
0 1 2 3
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
-6
-7
-8
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
3. Solve the following inequalities
a) 3x ≤ 9 b) 2x + 3 ≥ 15 c) −3x < 12 d) 2 − 3x < −4
e) 1 + 5x < 19 f) 11 − 2x > 5 g) 5x + 3 > 3x + 1 h) 12 − 3x < 4x − 2
4. Inequalities used with a modulus symbol
Inequalities often appear in conjunction with the modulus, or absolute value symbol | |, for
example, in a statement such as
|x| < 2
Recall that the modulus of a number is simply its magnitude, or absolute value, regardless of its
sign. So
|2| = 2 and | − 2| = 2
Returning to |x| < 2, if the absolute value of x is less than 2, then this means that x must lie
between 2 and −2. We can write this as −2 < x < 2. This range of values is shown on the
number line in Figure 4.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
Figure 4. A number line showing −2 < x < 2.

Observe that |x| also measures the distance of a point on the number line from the origin. For
example, both the points 2 and −2 are distance 2 units from O, and so they have the same
absolute value, 2. If we write |x| < 2 we mean all points a distance less than 2 units from O.
Clearly these are the points in the interval −2 < x < 2.
Similarly, |x − 4| < 2 represents all points whose distance from the point 4 is less than 2. These
are the points in the interval 2 < x < 6.
Example
Suppose we wish to solve the inequality |x| ≥ 5.
If |x| ≥ 5 this means that the absolute value of x must be greater than or equal to 5. This
means that x can be greater than or equal to 5, or can be less than or equal to −5. We write
x ≤ −5 or x ≥ 5
This range of values is shown on the number line in Figure 5.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
Figure 5. A number line showing |x| ≥ 5.
The next example is more complicated.
Example
Suppose we wish to solve
|x − 4| < 3
The modulus sign means that the absolute value of x − 4 is less than 3. This means that
−3 < x − 4 < 3
This is what is called a double inequality. We must treat it as two separate inequalities.
From the left we get −3 < x − 4 and by adding 4 to both sides we obtain 1 < x.
On the right we have x − 4 < 3, and by adding 4 to both sides we get x < 7.
We can write these solutions together as
1 < x < 7
and this range of values of x is illustrated on the number line in Figure 6.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1 7 8
Figure 6. A number line showing 1 < x < 7.

Example
Suppose we wish to solve |5x − 8| ≤ 12.
This means
−12 ≤ 5x − 8 ≤ 12
and again we have a double inequality.
On the left:
−12 ≤ 5x − 8. Adding 8 to both sides: −4 ≤ 5x, and dividing by 5 gives, −4
5
≤ x.
On the right:
5x − 8 ≤ 12. Adding 8 to both sides: 5x ≤ 20. Dividing by 5 gives x ≤ 4.
Putting these results together gives the solution
−
4
5
≤ x ≤ 4
This range of values is shown on the number line in Figure 7.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
Figure 7. A number line showing the values of x for which |5x − 8| ≤ 12.
Exercises 2
Solve the following inequalities
a) |x| ≤ 3 b) |x| > 6 c) |x − 4| ≤ 3 d) |x − 2| ≤ 5
e) |x + 1| < 3 f) |x + 4| ≥ 2 g) |3 − x| > 1 h) |x + 1| ≤ 0
5. Using graphs to solve inequalities
Inequalities can be solved very easily using graphs, and if you are in any way unsure about the
algebra, it would be a good idea to do a graph to check. Let us see how this works.
Example
Suppose we wish to solve 2x + 3 < 0.
This inequality could be solved very easily doing algebra, but it makes a good graphical example.
First we sketch a graph of y = 2x + 3 as shown in Figure 8. Note that it is a straight line. It
has a slope of 2 and an intercept on the y axis of 3.
-2 -1 1 2 3
-3
3
x
y
Figure 8. A graph of y = 2x + 3.

Observe that on the x axis, y = 0 so that where the graph cuts the x axis, y is equal to zero
and x is −3
2
.
Above the x axis y is greater than zero.
Below the x axis y is less than zero.
Because we are looking for values of x for which 2x + 3 is less than zero, then we look for those
points on the graph where y is less than zero. By inspection we see that this corresponds to
values of x less than −11
2
. This is the solution of the inequality. We have marked this range on
the graph, using the x axis as the number line.
This technique can also be used with modulus inequalities and here using a graph can be very
helpful.
Example
Suppose we wish to solve the inequality |x| − 2 < 0.
Again we need to plot the graph of y = |x| − 2. The graph is shown in Figure 9.
-2 -1 1 2 3
-3
-2
-1
x
y
Figure 9. A graph of y = |x| − 2.
Again we are looking for |x| − 2 to be less than zero, so we are looking for where y is less than
zero. By inspecting the graph we see that this is when −2 < x < 2. This is the solution of the
inequality. This range of values has been marked on the graph using the x axis as the number
line.
Exercises 3
By drawing appropriate graphs solve the inequalities
a) 4x + 3 < 0 b) 3 − 2x > 0 c) |x| − 3 > 0
d) |x − 2| + 4 < 10 e) 5x + 1 < 2x + 13 f) x2
< 3x
6. Quadratic inequalities
Quadratic inequalities need handling with care.
Example
Suppose we wish to solve x2
− 3x + 2 > 0.
The quadratic expression on the left will factorise to give (x − 2)(x − 1) > 0. If this was a
quadratic equation we would simply state x − 2 = 0 and x − 1 = 0 and hence x = 2 and x = 1.
Unfortunately with inequalities the situation is more complicated and we have a bit more work
to do.

Whether (x − 2)(x − 1) is greater than zero or not depends upon the signs of the two factors
(x − 2) and (x − 1). We investigate the possibilities using a grid as shown in Figure 10.
On the top line of the grid we have indicated the places where (x − 2)(x − 1) is equal to zero,
that is when x is 1 or 2.
We write the two factors (x − 1) and (x − 2) in the first column on the left. We write their
product at the bottom left.
x 1
x 2
(x 1)(x 2)
1 2
+ +
+
+
+
Figure 10.
The second column corresponds to where x is less than 1. When x < 1 both x − 1 and x − 2
will be negative and so we have inserted − signs to show this. The product (x − 1)(x − 2) will
therefore be positive, and hence the + sign.
The third column corresponds to where x is greater than 1 but less than 2. In this interval x − 1
is positive, but x − 2 is negative, and hence the corresponding signs. The product will then be
negative.
The fourth column shows what happens when x is greater than 2. Both factors are positive.
Hence their product is positive too.
We are looking for where (x − 2)(x − 1) > 0 and our grid shows us that this is true when x < 1
and when x > 2. The solution of the inequality is therefore x < 1 or x > 2. The solution is
shown on the number line in Figure 11.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
Figure 11.
Example
Suppose we wish to solve the inequality −2x2
+ 5x + 12 ≥ 0.
It will be easier to deal with this if the coefficient of x2
is positive rather than negative and so
we multiply every term by −1 remembering to reverse the inequality.
The problem then is to solve 2x2
− 5x − 12 ≤ 0.
The quadratic expression can be factorised to give (2x + 3)(x − 4) ≤ 0.
Again we produce a grid. The first factor is zero when x = −3/2. The second factor is zero

when x = 4. We write these two numbers on the top row of the grid as shown in Figure 12.
+
+ +
+
+
3
2
2x+3
x 4
(2x+3)(x 4)
4
Figure 12.
When x is less than −3
2
both factors are negative and hence their product is positive as indicated.
When x is greater than −3
2
but less than 4, 2x + 3 is positive, but x − 4 is negative. Hence the
product of the two factors is negative.
When x is greater than 4, both factors are positive, and hence their product is positive.
We are looking for where 2x2
− 5x − 12 ≤ 0. From the grid we see that this occurs when
−
3
2
≤ x ≤ 4
Note that since the quadratic expression is zero at the points x = −3
2
and x = 4 these must
be included in the solution. The range of values of x satisfying the inequality is shown on the
number line in Figure 13.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
Figure 13.
Quadratic inequalities can also be solved graphically as illustrated in the following example.
Example
− 3x + 2 > 0.
We consider the graph of y = x2
− 3x + 2 which has been drawn in Figure 14. Note that the
quadratic expression factorises to give y = (x − 1)(x − 2) and so the graph crosses the x axis
when x = 1 and when x = 2. We are looking for where x2
− 3x + 2 is greater than zero so we
look at that part of the graph which is above the x axis. So the solution is
x < 1 or x > 2
We can mark this solution using the x axis as the number line.
1 2 3
-1
-2
-3
2
4
-2
x
y
Figure 14.

Example
− x − 6 ≤ 0.
The quadratic expression factorises to (x − 3)(x + 2) and the graph of y = (x − 3)(x + 2) is
shown in Figure 15.
-2 -1 1 2 3 x
y
Figure 15.
The graph crosses the x axis at x = −2 and at x = 3.
We are looking for where x2
− x − 6 lies on or below the x axis. By inspection the solution is
−2 ≤ x ≤ 3
Again this solution is indicated on the graph.
Exercises 4
Solve the following quadratic inequalities by using a grid - confirm your answers by sketching the
appropriate graph
a) (x − 3)(x + 1) < 0 b) x2
+ 5x + 6 ≥ 0 c) (2x − 1)(3x + 4) > 0
d) 10x2
− 19x + 6 ≤ 0 e) 5 − 4x − x2
> 0 f) 1 − x − 2x2
< 0

Answers
Exercise 1
1.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
0 1 2 3 4
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
7 8 9 10
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
f)
-6
-7
2. a) x ≤ −5 b) 2 < x c) −5 ≤ x < 2 d) 2 > x e) −5 ≤ x ≤ 2
3. a) x ≤ 3 b) x ≥ 6 c) x > −4 d) 2 < x e) x < 3.6 f) 3 > x g) x > −1 h) 2 < x
Exercise 2
a) −3 ≤ x ≤ 3 b) x < −6 or x > 6 c) 1 ≤ x ≤ 7 d) −3 ≤ x ≤ 7 e) −4 < x < 2
f) x ≤ −6 or x ≥ −2 g) x < 2 or x > 4 h) x = −1
Exercise 3
a) x < −4/3 b) x < 3/2 c) x < −3 or x > 3 d) −4 < x < 8 e) x < 4
f) 0 < x < 3
Exercise 4
a) −1 < x < 3 b) x < −3 or x > −2 c) x < −4/3 or x > 1/2 d) 2/5 ≤ x ≤ 3/2
e) −5 < x < 1 f) x < −1 or x > 1/2

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