How can you call a mathematical statement that compares two quantities which are not necessarily equal?
Inequality.
Practice makes perfect
We are asked to complete the following sentence.
A mathematical sentence using the symbols <, >, ≤, or ≥ is called a(n) ?.
Let's recall the meaning of the mathematical symbols used in the given sentence.
Symbol
Meaning
<
is less than
>
is greater than
≤
is less than or equal to
≥
is greater than or equal to
Notice that all these symbols are used to compare two quantities. They express a situation when the quantities are not necessarily equal (≤ and ≥) or when they are never equal (< and > ). We call this type of sentence an inequality. Let's look at some examples!
Real-Life Situation
Inequality
The temperature t of the ocean when not frozen is above -2 ^(∘) C.
t > - 2
If there are fewer than 10 people p, they get no discount in the museum.
p < 10
The temperature t of the ocean when it is frozen is no more than -2 ^(∘) C.
t ≤ - 2
To get a group discount in the museum, there must be at least 10 people p.
p ≥ 10
We can see that we are using the given symbols when writing inequalities. Therefore, we can finally complete the given sentence.
A mathematical sentence using the symbols <, >, ≤, or ≥ is called a(n) inequality.
