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Hey there! Today we are going to explore inequalities, which are like mathematical balance scales that show us when things are not equal.
In math, we are used to the equal sign (=) showing us that two sides are exactly the same. But sometimes, one side is bigger or smaller than the other! We use special symbols called inequalities to show this relationship.
Think of the 'less than' (<) and 'greater than' (>) symbols as hungry alligators. The alligator always wants to eat the bigger number because it is hungrier!
We can also show inequalities on a number line. For a simple inequality like 'x is greater than 2', we draw an open circle at 2 to show that 2 itself is not included, and then we paint an arrow pointing to all the larger numbers.
Graph the inequality x < 4 on a number line.
- Find the starting number, which is 4, on your number line.
- Since the symbol is '<' (less than) and not 'less than or equal to', we draw an open circle on 4. This tells us 4 is not part of the answer.
- Look at the direction of the symbol. It points to the left, which is where all the smaller numbers are.
- Draw a bold line starting from your open circle at 4 and shade all the way to the left, ending with an arrow.
