Learning Targets
Suppose Elena has $5 and sells pens for $1.50 each. Her goal is to save $20. We could solve the equation 1.5x + 5 = 20 to find the number of pens, x, that Elena needs to sell in order to save exactly $20. Adding -5 to both sides of the equation gives us 1.5x = 15, and then dividing both sides by 1.5 gives the solution x = 10 pens.
What if Elena wants to have some money left over? The inequality 1.5x + 5 > 20 tells us that the amount of money Elena makes needs to be greater than $20. The solution to the previous equation will help us understand what the solutions to the inequality will be. We know that if she sells 10 pens, she will make $20. Since each pen gives her more money, she needs to sell more than 10 pens to make more than $20. So the solution to the inequality is x > 10.
We can use a number line to represent or show inequalities. We use a circle to show the lowest/highest value and then an arrow to show the other numbers that could satisfy that inequality.
For example, to show the inequality x > 2, we would draw a circle at 2, then an arrow going to the right, as x could be any number greater than 2.
To show "greater than", we use an open circle because the value of x is not included. To show "greater than or equal to", we use a filled-in circle because the value of x is included.
If x is between two values, we represent each of these values with the appropriate circle, then join the two circles with a line.
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