Inequalities

Solving linear
Inequalities Solving
inequalities with
on a number linear
2 inequality
line inequalities
signs

Hyperlinks!

Solving Shading
tougher regions of
inequalities graphs
Inequalities on a number line

Learning Objective:
Can I represent and read inequalities on
a number line?
Grade D
What are the inequality signs?
There are 4 inequality signs.

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

You may have heard “the crocodile eats the bigger

number”.
So 8 > 5 and 2 < 7.

They work a bit like “equals” signs.

What’s the point of inequality signs?
Some problems don’t have one specific answer.

Inequalities give a range of possible answers.

But you have to give the whole range of answers

by using an inequality sign.

We can represent this range of answers on a

number line.
 How do the number lines work?
We use two different “dots” to show the specific
number named in the inequality.

○ represents < or >.

● represents ≤ or ≥.

We then draw an arrow from the dot.

 Some examples:
Represent 𝑥 > −1 on the number line.

Represent 𝑥 ≤ 3 on the number line.

●
○

-6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
 Represent these inequalities on a
number line:
1. 𝑥 < 4
2. 𝑥 ≥ 2
3. 𝑥 ≤ −3

●
●
○
-6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
 What about this?
Represent −1 < 𝑥 ≤ 3.

We still use the same system:

Put a dot above each of the numbers.
Join them up with a line.

○ ●
-6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
 Represent these inequalities on a
number line:
1. 1 < 𝑥 < 4
2. −4 ≤ 𝑥 < 2

● ○
○ ○
-6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
 One last thing:
You may be asked to list all the integers that “satisfy
an inequality”.
“Integer” means “whole number”.

For example:
List all integers that satisfy the inequality −3 < 𝑥 ≤
4.

All you do is write the numbers that are between -3

and 4, then include 4 (look at the inequality sign!).

Answer: -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4

List the integer values that satisfy the
inequalities below:
1. −2 ≤ 𝑥 < 3
-2, -1, 0, 1, 2

2. 1 < 𝑥 ≤ 5
2, 3, 4, 5
Solving linear inequalities

Learning Objective:
Can I solve an inequality?
Grade C
How do you solve inequalities?
Can you solve this? Solving inequalities is
exactly the same:

2𝑥 + 3 = 11 2𝑥 + 3 < 11

2𝑥 = 8 2𝑥 < 8

𝑥=4 𝑥<4
Try solving these inequalities:
1. 3𝑥 + 2 < 5 𝒙<𝟏

2. 5𝑥 − 4 ≥ 26 𝒙≥𝟔

3. 4𝑥 + 7 > 35 𝒙>𝟕

4. 7 < 2𝑥 − 5 𝟔<𝒙
or
𝒙>𝟔
 Be careful with negatives!
When you multiply or divide an inequality by a
negative number, the inequality sign swaps
around.

The same thing happens with equals signs, only

it makes no difference.
For example: solve 𝟏𝟑 − 𝟑𝒙 > 𝟕
Method 1 Method 2
13 − 3𝑥 > 7 13 − 3𝑥 > 7
[add 3𝑥]
[subtract 13] 13 > 7 + 3𝑥
[subtract 7]
−3𝑥 > −6 6 > 3𝑥
[divide by 3]
[divide by -3] 2>𝑥
which can be written:
𝑥<2 𝑥<2

Both methods give the same answer!

Have a go at solving these:
1. 21 − 8𝑥 ≥ 13
𝒙≤𝟏

2. 5 − 4𝑥 < 13
𝒙 > −𝟐
Solving with two inequality
signs
Learning Objective:
Can I solve an inequality that contains
two inequality signs?
Grade C
Two inequality signs? How on earth…?
This looks horrible, but really isn’t – honestly!

All you do is split the two bits up and solve like

you have done before.

You then put them back together again at the

end.
 An example:
Solve 5 < 2𝑥 − 1 < 13 .

6 < 2𝑥 2𝑥 < 14

3<𝑥 𝑥<7

3<𝑥<7
Solve these inequalities and write all
the integer values that satisfy them:
1. 8 ≤ 3𝑥 + 2 < 23
𝟐≤𝒙<𝟕
Integer values: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

2. −5 < 4𝑥 + 3 ≤ 19

−𝟐 ≤ 𝒙 < 𝟒
Integer values: -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3
Solving inequalities with letters
on both sides
Learning Objective:
Can I solve inequalities with letters on
both sides?
Grade B
 What do you mean?
This is where the letter appears on both sides of
the inequality sign.

Solving them uses all the principals you’ve used

before.

Just be careful what you do with the inequality

sign.
 An example:
Solve 5𝑥 − 3 > 3𝑥 + 5
Get the letter
onto one side [subtract 3𝑥]
Get the
2𝑥 − 3 > 5
numbers on [Add 3]
the other side
2𝑥 > 8
Find the value
of 𝑥
[Divide by 2]
Answer:
𝒙>𝟒
 Another example:
Solve 7 − 2𝑥 > 3𝑥 − 8
Get the letter
onto one side [add 2𝑥]
Get the
7 > 5𝑥 − 8
numbers on [Add 8]
the other side
15 > 5𝑥
Find the value
of 𝑥
[Divide by 5]
Answer:
𝟑 > 𝒙 or 𝒙 < 𝟑
Solve these inequalities:
1. 7𝑥 + 3 ≥ 3𝑥 + 11
𝒙≥𝟐

2. 𝑥 − 7 < 4𝑥 + 2
𝒙 > −𝟑
 Shading regions

Learning Objective:
Can I shade the correct region of a
graph given an inequality?
 One more thing:
The lines are different depending upon the
inequality sign.

> and < require a dotted line.

≥ and ≤ require a solid line.

 Quick reminder:
𝑥 = a number is a vertical line.
𝑦 = a number is a horizontal line.
𝒙 = −𝟑

𝒚=𝟐
How do the inequality signs work?
The “equals” sign is replaced by an inequality
sign.

< and ≤ - shade “below” the line.

> and ≥ - shade “above” the line.

 Shade the region represented by 𝒙 ≥ −𝟑

Draw the 𝒙 = −𝟑
graph

Solid line
because it is
equal to

Shade the values that are bigger than 3 or “above the line”
 Shade the region represented by 𝒚 < 𝟐

Draw the
graph Dotted line
because it’s
𝒚=𝟐 not equal to

Shade the values that are less than 2 or “below the line”
Can you shade the regions given by
these inequalities?
1. 𝑦 ≥ −1
2. 𝑥 < −3
𝒙 = −𝟑

𝒚 = −𝟏