The phrase less than divides the sentence into what should be on the left-hand side and what should be on the right-hand side of the inequality.
b - 4.2 < - 7.5
Practice makes perfect
We are given a verbal expression and we want to write an inequality that it represents.
A number b minus 4.2 is less than -7.5.
Every inequality has an inequality symbol and values or expressions on either side of this symbol. In this exercise, we have the phrase less than, so we can identify that the inequality symbol should be <.
A numberb minus 4.2 < - 7.5
On the left-hand side, we have one key phrase: minus. This word tell us the operation that will be used in our inequality. Minus indicates subtraction.
A numberb minus 4.2
b - 4.2
On the right-hand side, we have a constant. Putting these sides together, we have a complete inequality.
A numberb minus 4.2 is less than - 7.5.
b - 4.2 < - 7.5
