Chapter 1
Linear Equations and Graphing
Course: Gre
Subject: Gre Quantitative Reasoning
Chapter: Inequalities And Absolute Values
What Is an Inequality?
An inequality is a mathematical statement that shows the relationship between two expressions that are not equal. Unlike an equation, which states that two quantities are exactly equal, an inequality indicates that one quantity is greater than, less than, or possibly equal to another.
Inequalities appear frequently in everyday language. A person might say, "I have fewer apples than Mary," or "The temperature is at least 70 degrees." In mathematics, these relationships are expressed using specific symbols.
Inequality Symbols
| Symbol | Meaning | Example | | < | less than | 3 < 5 (3 is less than 5) | | > | greater than | 7 > 2 (7 is greater than 2) | | ≤ | less than or equal to | x ≤ 10 (x is less than or equal to 10) | | ≥ | greater than or equal to | y ≥ 5 (y is greater than or equal to 5) | | ≠ | not equal to | 4 ≠ 5 (4 is not equal to 5) |