Chapter 2

Get Real!: Wrestling with Real Numbers

In This Chapter
䊳 Finding solutions to equations with inequalities
䊳 Using interval notation to express inequality
䊳 Simplifying radicals and exponents
䊳 Rationalizing the denominator

W hen you build a house, you start by preparing your site and laying your foundation.
In Chapter 1, we found and graded the site and started the foundation, but now it’s
time to make sure that the foundation is set in place before we start building the frame. Pre-
calculus, like a sturdy house, has to be based on a solid foundation. In this case, our house
is based on Algebra I and II skills. Consider algebra the mortar between your pre-calc bricks.
We’re going to refresh your memory and cement you with some of those basic skills.

In this chapter, we assume that you know most of your algebra skills well, so we review only
the tougher concepts in algebra — the ones that give a lot of our students trouble if they
don’t review them. In addition to reviewing inequalities, radicals, and exponents, we also
introduce a purely pre-calculus idea: interval notation. If you feel confident with the other
review sections in this chapter, feel free to skip ahead, but make sure you practice some of
the interval notation problems before moving on to Chapter 3. For those of you who aren’t
sure how solid your cemented foundation is, let’s get brickin’!

Solving Inequalities
Solving inequalities is very similar to solving basic equations, which we assume you know
solidly by now. There are a few subtle differences, which we’ll take the time to review and
practice here.

First, remember that an inequality is a mathematical sentence indicating that two expressions
aren’t equal. Inequalities are expressed using the following symbols:

Greater than: >

Greater than or equal to: ≥
Less than: <
Less than or equal to: ≤

Solving equations with inequalities is exactly the same as solving equations with equalities,
with one key exception: multiplying and dividing by negative numbers.

When you multiply or divide each side of an inequality by a negative number, you must
switch the direction of the inequality symbol. In other words, < becomes > and vice versa.
26 Part I: Foundation (And We Don’t Mean Makeup!)

This is also a good time to put together two key concepts: inequalities and absolute
values, or absolute value inequalities. With these, you need to remember that absolute
values have two possible solutions: one when the quantity in the absolute value bars
is positive, and one when it’s negative. Therefore, you have to solve for these two pos-
sible solutions.

The easiest way to do this is to drop the absolute value bars and apply this simple rule:

becomes ax ± b < c AND ax ± b > –c

becomes ax ± b > c OR ax ± b < –c

Need an easy way to remember this? Notice the pattern: < is AND, while > is OR. Just
think: “less thAND” and “greatOR than.”

The solutions for these absolute value inequalities can be expressed graphically, as fol-
lows in Figure 2-1.

Figure 2-1:
Graphical
solution for
.

One more trick those pesky pre-calculus professors may try and pull on you has to do
with absolute value inequalities involving negative numbers. You may encounter two
possible scenarios:

⻬ If the absolute value is less than or equal to a negative number, a solution

doesn’t exist. Because an absolute value must be positive, it can never be less
than a negative number. For example, doesn’t have a solution.
⻬ If the absolute value is greater than or equal to a negative number, there are
infinite solutions, and the answer is all real numbers. Here, because an absolute
value indicates a positive solution and a positive number is always greater than a
negative number, an absolute value is always greater than a negative number. For
instance, it doesn’t matter which number you plug into the equation ,
you always get a true statement. Therefore, the solution to the statement is all
real numbers.

Q. Solve for x in 5 – 2x > 4. Q. Solve for x in .

A. x < 1⁄2. Start by subtracting 5 from each side, A. x ≥ 2 or x ≤ –4. First, you have to isolate
giving you –2x > –1. Next, divide both sides the absolute value. To do this, add 3 to
by –2 (don’t forget to switch that inequal- both sides. Next, drop the absolute value
ity!), giving you x < 1⁄2. bars and set up your two equations:
4x + 4 ≥ 12 OR 4x + 4 ≤ –12. Solving each
algebraically, you get x ≥ 2 or x ≤ –4.
 Chapter 2: Get Real!: Wrestling with Real Numbers 27
1. Solve for x in . 2. Solve for x in x2 – 5x – 20 > 4.

Solve It Solve It

3. Solve for x in . 4. Solve for x in x3 – 5x > 4x2.

Solve It Solve It
28 Part I: Foundation (And We Don’t Mean Makeup!)

Expressing Inequality Solutions

in Interval Notations
Pre-calc newbie, listen up. This is something you probably didn’t experience in alge-
bra. Interval notation, although scary sounding, is simply another way of expressing a
solution set. Why have another way to write the same thing? Well, this notation is
important to know because it’s the one most often used in pre-calculus and calculus.
And because we know you’re incredibly dedicated to becoming a math wizard (uh-
huh), you need to know how to cast this spell.

The key to writing a solution in interval notation is to locate the beginning and end of a
set of solutions. You can do this by using inequality notation or by visualizing the solu-
tion by graphing it. After you locate your key points, you need to decide which type of
interval you’re dealing with: open interval (> or <) or closed interval (≥ or ≤).

⻬ Open interval is indicated by an open circle at a point on a graph and by paren-

theses in interval notation.
⻬ Closed interval is indicated by a solid circle at a point on a graph and by brack-
ets for interval notation.

For example, the solution set –4 ≤ x < 3, shown in Figure 2-2, can be rewritten in inter-
val notation as [–4, 3). Another way to think of this solution set is x ≥ –4 AND x < 3.

Figure 2-2:
Graph of
–4 ≤ x < 3. –4 3

To indicate a solution set that includes non-overlapping sections (also known as dis-
jointed sets), you need to state all the intervals of the solution separated by the word
OR. For example, to write the solution set of x < 2 or x ≥ 5 (as shown in Figure 2-3), you
need to write both intervals in interval notation: (–⬁, 2)艛[5, ⬁). The symbol between the
two sets is the union symbol (艛). It means that the solution can belong in either interval.

You always use open interval notation (parentheses) for ⬁ or – ⬁ because they’re not
real numbers.

Figure 2-3:
Graph of
x < 2 or
x ≥ 5. 2 5
 Chapter 2: Get Real!: Wrestling with Real Numbers 29
Q. Write the solution for 5 – 2x > 4 in interval Q. Graph the interval set (–2, 3]艛(5, ⬁) on a
notation. number line.

A. (1⁄2, ⬁). We solve this in the previous sec- A. Figure 2-4. Start by putting your key points
tion, so we just have to write the answer in on the number line. Then draw either solid
interval notation. or open circles on your key points, depend-
ing on whether they’re closed or open
intervals. Last, shade.

Figure 2-4:
Graph of
(–2, 3]艛
(5, ⬁). –2 3 5

5. Write the solution for the solution of 6. Write the solution for the solution of
in interval notation. x3 – 5x > 4x2 in interval notation, and graph
the solution on a number line.
Solve It
Solve It

7. Graph the interval set (– ⬁, –7)艛[–5, 2)艛 8. Graph the solution of .

(4, ⬁) on a number line.
Solve It
Solve It
30 Part I: Foundation (And We Don’t Mean Makeup!)

Don’t Get Drastic with Radicals and

Exponents — Just Simplify Them!
Radicals and exponents (also known as roots and powers) are fundamental algebra con-
cepts. Remember our house? If you don’t have a solid foundation of these concepts,
you may blow, blow, blow your house down! Here’s one area where the foundation
needs to be absolutely pre-calc-cemented in place.

To start, we review the definitions of radicals and exponents and their relationship to
each other:

A radical signifies the root of a number. It’s indicated by the radical symbol ( ).
A root of a number is a value that must be multiplied by itself to equal that number.
For example, the second root (or square root) of 9 is 3 because 3 multiplied by itself is
9 (3 · 3 = 9). Similarly, the third root (or cube root) of 8 is 2 because 2 multiplied by itself
two times is 8 (2 · 2 · 2 = 8).

An exponent is the power of a number. It indicates the number of times a number (the
base) is multiplied by itself. For example, 2 to the power of 3 is the same as 23 = 2 · 2 · 2 = 8.

Radicals and exponents are closely related to each other. In fact, they’re inverse opera-
tions. To solve an equation in which the variable is under a radical, simply take the
power of both sides. For example, to solve , you need to square both sides,
giving you x = 16. Similarly, you can often solve an equation in which the variable is
raised to a power (or has an exponent) by taking the root of both sides. For instance,
to solve x3 = 27, you can take the cube root of each side, , to get x = 3. You
can now use this simple fact to solve equations with radicals and exponents. Who’s
got the power now, huh?

Sometimes it’s easier to solve expressions with radicals and exponents by rewriting
them as rational exponents, or exponents written as fractions. To do this, remember
that the numerator (top number) of the rational exponent is the power, and the
denominator (bottom number) is the root.

( x)
m m
x n
= n xm = n

2
For example, you can rewrite or as 8 3 .
 Chapter 2: Get Real!: Wrestling with Real Numbers 31
Q. Solve for x in x 2 − 3 x
3
2
− 4x = 0 . Q. Solve for x in .

A. x = 0, 1, 16. Don’t let this one scare you! A. x = 5. Start this one by subtracting
Just remember your basic fraction rules 4 from each side, isolating the radical:
and look for a pattern for factoring. Start by . Next, square each side to
factoring out the GCF (x) from each term.

( )
1
get rid of the square root: , which
That leaves you with x x − 3 x 2
−4 =0
becomes 2x – 1 = (x – 2)(x – 2).
3 1
(remember x − x = x , just basic fraction 2 1 2
A common mistake is
stuff here, nothing fancy). Now, recognize
to forget that (x – 2)2 is
that what’s left over in the parentheses is
(x – 2)(x – 2), not x2 + 4!
merely a polynomial: y2 – 3y – 4 = 0, then
factor this polynomial: (y – 4)(y + 1) = 0.
Multiply this out using FOIL. A
When you recognize this, you need only
common method for remembering
deal with the fractions as the exponents. You
the steps for multiplying two bino-
can factor the polynomial into
mials, FOIL stands for F(first),
(
x x
1
2
−4 x )( 1
2
)
+ 1 = 0 . Next, set each factor O(outside), I(inside), and L(last).
This helps you remember to multi-
equal to 0 to find your solutions. It should ply all the terms.
look something like this:

x x ( 1
2
−4 x )( 1
2
+1 = 0 ) That leaves you with 2x – 1 = x2 – 4x + 4.
Bring all terms to one side: 0 = x2 – 6x + 5,
1 1 then factor: 0 = (x – 5)(x – 1). Setting each
x=0 x 2
=4 x 2
= −1 factor equal to 0, you get two possible

(x ) = 4 ( x ) = ( −1)
2 2
1
2 2
1
2
2 solutions: x = 5 or x = 1. Next, plug both
solutions back into the original equation
x = 16 x =1 to check for extraneous roots (remember
If you need a refresher of exponen- those from Chapter 1?). Plugging them
tial rules, skip ahead to Chapter 5 in, you find:
for a quick review. And for a quick
review of solving quadratics, skip
ahead to Chapter 4.

Therefore, x = 1 is an extraneous root,

and x = 5 is the solution!

9. Simplify 27
4
3 . 10. Solve for x in x
5
3
− 6x = x
4
3
.

Solve It Solve It
32 Part I: Foundation (And We Don’t Mean Makeup!)

11. Solve for x in x − 3 − 5 = 0. 12. Solve for x in x

8
9
= 16 x
2
9
.

Solve It Solve It

13. Solve for x in . 14. Solve for x in x

2
3
+ 7x
1
3
+ 10 = 0 .

Solve It Solve It
 Chapter 2: Get Real!: Wrestling with Real Numbers 33
Getting Out of a Sticky Situation, or Rationalizing
Ever find yourself justifying why you deserve a day off after a pre-calc test? It may
sound irrational, but rationalizing can come in handy sometimes. To truly simplify a
radical expression, you must rationalize your denominators. In other words, you can’t
leave a radical in the denominator of an expression. In this section, we review and
practice rationalizing the denominator.

We begin with monomials (or one term) in the denominator. For these, it’s important to
remember that you’re dealing with an expression and not an equation, so you need to
remember equivalent fractions.

Keep in mind that a monomial is an expression, NOT an equation. You can’t simply
square the term to find a solution, because you can’t counterbalance that action.

Instead, you need to multiply the numerator and denominator by the same term (which
is the same as multiplying by 1). For example, if you need to rationalize the expression
, you can multiply the expression by , which equals 1. You then get .

The same idea works for other radicals, but it requires a little more thinking. For example,
if you need to rationalize the expression , you need to multiply the numerator and

denominator by to the second power, or by , because raising a cube root to the

third power cancels the root. After multiplying, you get .

To rationalize expressions with binomials in the denominator, you must multiply both
the numerator and denominator by the conjugate. A conjugate is a fancy name for the
binomial that, when multiplied by the first binomial, gives you the difference of two
squares. It’s found by changing the sign of the second term of the binomial. For exam-
ple, the conjugate of x + y is x – y. We know this for sure because when we multiply the
two conjugates (x + y)(x – y), we get x2 – y2, or the difference of two squares.

So to rationalize a denominator with a binomial, start by multiplying the numerator and

denominator by the conjugate and simplify. For example, to simplify , multiply the

numerator and denominator by . The steps look like this:

= 6+3 3 = =
4−2 3 +2 3 − 9
34 Part I: Foundation (And We Don’t Mean Makeup!)

Q. Simplify . Q. Simplify .

A. x= .
A. x= . First, multiply the numerator
To minimize the amount of work you
need to do for rationalizing denomi- and denominator by the conjugate of the
nators, it’s a good idea to rewrite
your denominator in factored form denominator: .
to identify the base numbers you’re
dealing with. So for this problem, we
begin by rewriting the denominator: Be sure to correctly multiply your
terms, especially when you’re multi-
. plying binomials. A common mistake
is to simply distribute the second
Now, we can multiply the numerator and term to your conjugate in the numer-
denominator by , giving us: . ator, but you need to remember that
you’re multiplying two binomials
Simplifying, we get: = .
together: , not

. Correctly multiplied

out using FOIL, you should get:

. Combining like

terms, the final answer is .

 Chapter 2: Get Real!: Wrestling with Real Numbers 35
15. Simplify . 16. Simplify .

Solve It Solve It

17. 5
Simplify 3 2 . 18. Simplify 82 .
5
2 18 4 3
Solve It Solve It