CHAPTER 5. EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES. The human mind tras never invented a labor-sachrg machine equal to algebra, ~ Unknown CHAPTER 5 TTT] Lo Equations and Inequalities 5.1 Expressions When we combine numbers or variables using mathematical operations, we form a mathemat- ical expression. For example, the following are all expressions: 247-3 342-6 23x49 A term is a product of a number and a variable raised to some power. We say that the number in a term is the coefficient of the power of the variable, For example, in the expression 6x° + 3x, the terms are 6x” and 31, the coefficient of x? is 6, and the coefficient of x is3. Anumber by itself is a term as well, so in the expression 3x + 7, both 3x and 7 are terms. A term that is, just a number by itself is called a constant or constant term. Two one-variable expressions with the same variable are equivalent if they are equal for every value of the variable for which at least one of the expressions is defined. For example, the expressions x+70 0 and 74x are equivalent, as are the expressions 1 pod We say that we simplify an expression when we write itas an equivalent expression with as, few terms as possible, and write each term as simply as possible. For example, the expression f-t4+14+2-4.can be simplified to + 9, but the expression x + 7 is already simplified. 2005.1, EXPRESSIONS Problem 5.1: (a) Are -x +6 and 6 ~ x equivalent? (b) Aref +1and #1 equivalent? (Q) Are 4 and 3x equivalent? (d) Are = and 7 equivalent? Problem 5.2: {a) Jeremy has 5 packs of gum and Shannon has 6 packs of gum. Suppose each pack of gum has x pieces of gum. Write an expression for the number of pieces of gum Jeremy has. Write an expression for the number of pieces of gum Shannon has. Write two different] expressions that each equal the total number of pieces of gum the two of them have together. (b) Simplify the expression 5x + 6x. Problem 5.3: Allison has three boxes of chocolate and five extra pieces of chocolate. Atlas has| four boxes of chocolate and eight extra pieces of chocolate. Suppose each box of chocolate| ‘has x pieces of chocolate. {a) Write an expression for the total number of pieces Allison has. (b) Write an expression for the total number of pieces Atlas has. (©) Write an expression for the total number of pieces they have together. (a) Simplify the expression (3x +5) + (4x +8). (c)_ Simplify the expression (Sr - 6) + (4r + 1) + 0-3”). Problem 5.4: (a) Expand the product 7(y +2). (b) Simplify the expression 6r + 2(4 - 37). (c) Simplify the expression 5(z - 3) + 3(7- 22). Problem 5.5: (a) Yao Ming is 7 feet, 6 inches tall. Earl Boykins is 5 feet, 5 inches tall. How much taller is ‘Yao Ming than Earl Boykins? (b) Simplify the expression (7x + 6) ~ (Sx +5). i (©) Simplify the expression (Ba ~ 3) - 2(3- 5a). 207CHAPTER 5. EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES. Problem 5.6: 103 (@) Simplify — j(b) Simplify 2 a Problem 5.7: a-5 asa single fraction. 2x (@) Express 3 + 2x (b) Express ** as a single fraction. | Problem 5.1: | (@) Are -x +6 and 6 ~x equivalent? |(@) Are t+ and t—1 equivalent? (0) Are and 3x equivalent? (a) Are @ and equivalent? Solution for Problem 5.1: (a) By the commutative property of addition, we have -x+6 = 6 + (-x) = 6—x,s0 -x+ 6 and 6 —xare equivalent. (b) Iff = 1, thent +1 =2and¢ = 0. Because there is a value of ¢ for which ¢+ land t-1 are not equal, the two expressions are not equivalent. (©) We can use our rules for multiplying fractions to simplify the expression 4 as follows: ik Wx Eg ee ‘Therefore, 4 and 3x are equivalent. (d) At first we might think that we can always simplify = as follows: Poteren falrer This makes it appear that = and r are equivalent. However, we must be careful; when r =0, the expression © is not defined, but the expression r is simply 0. So, the expressions 2 and rare not equal when r = 0. Since there is a value of r for which © and rare not equal, these two expressions are not equivalent. 2025.1. EXPRESSIONS Problem 5.2: (@) Jeremy has 5 packs of gum and Shannon has 6 packs of gum. Suppose each pack of gum has x pieces of gum. Write an expression for the number of pieces of gum Jeremy has. Write an expression for the number of pieces of gum Shannon has. Write two different expressions that each equal the total number of pieces of gum the two of them have, together. | (©) Simplify the expression 5x + 6x, Solution for Problem 5.2: (a) Ifeach pack has x pieces and Jeremy has 5 packs, then he has 5x pieces total. Similarly, Shannon's packs have 6x pieces total. Together, Jeremy and Shannon have 5x + 6x total pieces of gum. Instead of counting Jeremy’s pieces and Shannon's pieces separately, suppose we count the number of packs they have together before counting the pieces. Together, they have 5 +6 =11 packs, and each pack has x pieces, so they have 11x pieces total (b) In part (a), we counted Jeremy's and Shannon's pieces separately and found that there are 5x + 6x pieces. When we combined their packs before counting the pieces, we found that there are 11x pieces. So, we must have 5x + 6 = 11x. ‘We can use the distributive property to show why expressions 5x + 6r and 11x are equivalent: 5x + 6x = +x46-x=(546)-x= 11x. Qo We can extend our work in Problem 5.2 to simplify longer sums (and differences) of terms in which the variable part of each term is the same. For example, we have x + x4 6x 2x = (3+146—2)x = Bx. We're now ready to add more complicated expressions. Problem 5.3: Allison has three boxes of chocolate and five extra pieces of chocolate. Atlas has four boxes of chocolate and eight extra pieces of chocolate. Suppose each box of chocolate has x pieces of chocolate. (a) Write an expression for the total number of pieces Allison has. (b) Write an expression for the total number of pieces Atlas has. (©). Write an expression for the total number of pieces they have together. | (@) Simplify the expression (3x + 5) + (4x +8). (e) Simplify the expression (57 — 6) + (4r + 1) + (9 = 37). 203CHAPTER 5. EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES. Solution for Problem 5.3: (a) Each of Allison’s 3 boxes has x pieces of chocolate, so the boxes contain 3x pieces in total. She has 5 extra pieces, giving her a total of 3x + 5 pieces of chocolate. (b) Atlas’s 4 boxes of chocolate have x pieces each, for a total of 4x pieces in boxes. Including, his extra 8 pieces, Atlas has 4x + 8 pieces of chocolate. (©) Together, Allison and Atlas have 3 +4 = 7 boxes of chocolate. These boxes each have x pieces, for a total of 7x pieces of chocolate in boxes. Allison and Atlas together have 5 +8 = 13 extra pieces. Combining the boxes and the extras gives us 7x + 13 pieces. (d) Since Allison has 3x + 5 pieces of chocolate, Atlas has 4x + 8 pieces, and together they have 7x + 13 pieces, we know that (Bx +5) + (4x48) = 7x4 13. Fortunately, we don’t have to think about boxes of chocolate any time we want to simplify expressions like (3x + 5) + (4x + 8). We can add 3x +5 and 4x +8 by grouping the x terms and grouping the constants: (Bx +5)+ (4x48) = 3x 4544048 3x t4x+5+8 = Qx+4x)+6+8) 7x+13. . Manipulations like this show why the “obvious” commutative and associative properties of addition are so important. It’s these properties that allow us to group the x terms and group the constants when we add 3x +5 and 4x +8. (©) We group the terms with r and we group the constants: (Gr 6) + (dr +1) + (9-37) = Sr 6447 +149-37 Srt4r—3r-6+1+9 (Gr + 4r—3r) + (64149) =6r+4, WARNING! We have to keep careful track of our signs when rearrang “’ group of numbers that we are adding and subtracting, When we rearrange 5r-644r+14+9~37 = to | Sr+4r-3r-6+1+9, we are careful not to mistakenly change the signs of any terms. 204EXPRESSIONS When we add (Sr ~ 6) + (4r + 1) + (9 ~ 37) to get 6r +4, we say we are combining like terms, because we are combining all the r terms into one term (5r + dr - 37 simplifies to 67), and we are combining all the constants into one term (-6 + 1 +9 simplifies to 4). | Problem 5. (a) Expand the product 7(y + 2). (b) Simplify the expression 6r + 2(4 - 31). 2 (©) Simplify the expression 5(z - 3) + 3(7 - 22). Solution for Problem 5.4: We can use the distributive property with variabl that we do with numbers. in the same way (a) Wy +2)=7-y+7-2=7y 41d. (b) First, we expand 2(4 — 3r) with the distributive property: 6r + 2(4~3r) = 6r +2-4—2-3r= 6r +8 —6r. Next, we combine like terms: 6r +8 ~6r = 6r~6r +8 = +8=8. ‘The 6r and ~6r canceled out! The original expression simplifies to 8. So, no matter what value of r we choose, the expression 6r + 2(4 ~ 3r) equals 8. (c) First, we use the distributive property to expand our two products. We are careful to keep track of the negative signs: 5(2— 3) +3(7 - 22) = +2-5-343-7-3- (22) iz — 15 + 21 — 6z. Now we can combine like terms (and watch out for sign errors) to find 5z- 15 +21 ~ 62 = 5z-6z—15 +21 = (5-6)2+6 =-12+6 co The distributive property also helps us subtract one expression from another. Problem 5: {a) Yao Ming is 7 feet, 6 inches tall. Earl Boykins is 5 feet, 5 inches tall. How much taller is ‘Yao Ming than Earl Boykins? | | (©) Simplify the expression (7x + 6) - (5x +5). | | (©) Simplify the expression (8a — 3) - 2(3 - 52). I 205CHAPTER 5. EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES. Solution for Problem 5.5: (a) We could find both of the heights in inches, but we can find the difference in their heights more quickly by subtracting the feet and inches separately. Yao is taller than Boykins by 7 ~5 = 2 feet and 6-5 = 1 inch. We're basically using the distributive property to help subtract two expressions: (7 feet +6 inches) ~ (5 feet + 5 inches) = 7 feet + 6 inches ~5 feet ~ 5 inches = (7 feet — 5 feet) + (6 inches — 5 inches) = 2 feet + Linch. (b) We have (7x +6) - Gx +5) = (7x +6)—5x-5 =7r-5x+6-5 +1 () Wehave (8a - 3) ~ 2(3 ~ 5a) = 8a ~ 3 ~ 2(3) — 2(—5a) 8a-3-6+ 10a 80 + 10a-3-6 80-9. . ao Problem ~ snptity 1! 4 12t |@) Simplify 4+. | 2x | Sx (©) Simplify — + Solution for Problem 5.6: (a) First, we simplify both fractions. We have 12 = Je 5 As 679 (b) Wehave hs x 377° 3 Writing —3 and $ with a common denominator gives (8 15 2065.1, EXPRESSIONS We also could have written -% and ® with a common denominator in the very begin- ning. Writing both fractions with 21 as the denominator gives ‘Therefore, we have 2x 5x Max 15x _ -1dx | 15x _ -1dv + 15x _ x 3°77 aa a ta a a Notice that we are careful to keep the negative sign in the —14x in the numerator when we combine the fractions. o Now that we can handle fractions combined with variables, lets take a look at more com- plicated expressions with fractions. Problem 5.7: £ \(@) Express 5 Ps z 5 ag a single fraction, | : |) Express Be = fod = as a single fraction. Solution for Problem 5.7: (a) The least common denominator of the fractions is 4. Writing § with a denominator of 4 gives We then hi fe then have 2, 2° E (b) The least common denominator of the fractions is 18. Writing both fractions with this denominator gives 2e+7 _ 2x47 3 _ (2x+7)3)_ 6x+21 6 6 3° 6) 1B” Q-2x _ 9-2x 2 _ (9—2x)(2)_ 18-4 2° 2) 18 Now, we subtract: 18-4 _ 6x +21 ~ (18-42) 18 18 . 207CHAPTER 5. EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES. The key thing to note here is how we treat the subtraction of the second numerator. We subtract the entire numerator, 18 - 4x, so the numerator in the combined fraction is 6x + 21 ~ (18 ~ 4x), not 6x + 21 — 18 - 4x. Make sure you see the difference between these! Finally, we distribute in the numerator and we finish: 6x421~(18—4x) _ 6x +21-18+4y _ (6x+4x) + (21-18) _ 1043 18 18 ~ 18 18 a 5.1.1 Simplify each of the following: (a) 2r+3r-77 (@) -52+$-2+32 (b) 3y-2y+7y-9y (e) -f4x48 (9) 6-43-4428 () 5-Sr47-% 5.1.2 Simplify each of the following: (@) 70-2) + 5(2x +3) (© 31 +3) -@+3)0 +4) (b) 44-4) ~ 6@a~1) (a) ~5(22~31y) + 22(4y +3) 5.1.3. Simplify each of the following: 12-4e | 27+ 18¢ (@ we7- Be (a) er) 3 ©) H6-4y) + Sey +4 5.1.4 Are the expressions (2/x)/4 and 2/(x/4) equivalent? 5.1.5 The expression 3x + 4x can be simplified to 7x. Can the expression 3x + 4y be simplified similarly? 5.1.6 The expression x + x can be simplified to 2x. (a) Can the expression x? + 2° be simplified similarly? (b) Can the expression x? + x be simplified similarly? 208SOLVING LINEAR EQUATIONS | 5.2 Solving Linear Equations I from An equation states that two quantities are equal. The most basic type of equation come: arithmetic. For example, 2+6=3+5. You've already seen many examples of this sort of equation. So far in this book, nearly every equation with variables has been used to say that two expressions are equivalent, such as atb=b+a In this section, we introduce equations with a variable such that the equation is true for only some values of the variable. Unfortunately, we use the same symbol, =", to mean that two expressions are equivalent and to write equations that are only true for some values of a variable. For example, the equation x +3 = 9 does not tell us that x + 3 is 9 for all values of x. Ifx = 3, then x +3 is 6, not 9, so the equation x +3 = 9 is not true when x = 3. However, if x = 6, then x +3 is 9, so the equation x + 3 = 9 is true when x = 6. The solutions to an equation are the values of the variables that make the equation true. So, x = 6 is a solution tox +3 = 9. We say that we solve an equation when we find all values of the variable that make the equation true. The two most important tactics we use to solve equations are: 1. We can replace any expression with an equivalent expression. For example, in the equation. Sx-4x+3=14, we can simplify the left-hand side to x +3, so the equation becomes x+3=14. 2. We can perform the same mathematical operation to both sides of the equation. For example, starting with the equation x +3 = 14, we can subtract 3 from both sides of the equation to get x43-3= 14-3. Simplifying both sides of the equation then gives x = 11, and we have found the solution to the equation. Looking back to the original equation, 5x ~ 4 +3 = 14, we see that when we have x = 11, we get5-11-4-11 +3 = 14, which is indeed a true equation. Important: If you add, subtract, multiply, or divide the expression on one side 7 __ sfthe equation by something, then you have todo the same to the expression on the other side of the equation. 208CHAPTER 5. EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES We often solve equations with one variable by performing operations on both sides of the equation and simplifying expressions until the variable is alone on one side of the equation. ‘When we do this, we say that we isolate the variable. In this section, we focus on solving linear equations. An equation is a linear equation if every term in the equation is a constant term or is a constant times the first power of the variabie. So, 2x + 4x5 = 36x and 2yt7= —2y are linear equations. The equations 2 =36 and are not linear equations. Problem 5.8: Consider the equation x — 12 = 289. We will solve this equation in several different ways. (@) Use your understanding of numbers to find a value of x that makes the equation true. (b) Use the number line to find a value of x that makes the equation true. (c) What number can be added to both sides of the equation to give an equation in which x! is alone on the left side? (d)_Use part (c) to solve the equation. Problem 5.9: Solve the following equations: 5 () 4- (a) x-43 = = 243-243! [Problem 5.10: ‘onsider the equation 31x = 713. (a) By what number can we divide both sides of the equation to give an equation in which | xis alone on the left side? (©) Solve the equation. Problem 5.11: Solve the following equations: (b) 24> -75y 20SOLVING LINEAR EQUATIONS | [Problem 5.8: Solve the equation x- Solution for Problem 5.8: We present three different solutions. Inspection, The equation means that 12 less than x equals 289. Since 289 is 12 less than x, we know that x must be 12 more than 289. Therefore, x equals 289 + 12, which is 301. ‘Nuinber Line, If we consider the number line, the equation x— 12 = 289 tells us that 289 is 12 steps to the left of x. This means that x is 12 steps to the right of 289, so x is 289 + 12 = 301 a alin alee alia alin alias cea ae ce ae a mo Nee 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 Algebra. Tosolve the equation, we manipulate it until it reads x = (some number). Therefore, we must get x alone on one side of the equation. To do so, we eliminate the ~12 on the left side by adding 12 to both sides of the equation: x-12 +12 x We have therefore isolated x on the left side of the equation. We can now see that the solution to the equation x ~ 12 = 289 isx = 301. Whichever method we use to solve the equation, we can check our answer by substituting our soluttion, x = 301, back in to the original equation, x — 12 = 289, to get 301 ~ 12 = 289. This equation is true, so our solution works. 0 Pethaps you noticed that each of our three solution approaches comes down to the same key step, adding 12 to 289 to get our answer. The first uses words, the second uses pictures, the third uses algebra. While logic and pictures are sometimes helpful in solving equations, algebraic manipulations are by far the most generally useful tools to solve equations. Try using algebra to solve the following equations. Solution for Problem 5.9: (a) We isolate x by adding 43 to both sides: aiCHAPTER 5. EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES. We finish by adding the mixed numbers on the right side: 42 4.2 12,10 2 7 xaQp tag a2tdt ets = 6+ Te tea 6+ =64log This example shows how algebra can help keep our work organized and simple. If we take a logic or picture approach, the fractions might lead to confusion. The algebraic approach makes it very clear how to find the answer. (b) We start by simplifying both sides of the equation. The left side is simply 4 ~5 the right side, we combine the two variable terms and combine the two constant ) 1 x63 1 1 243-1435 = Qx=2)+(3 +35) Now our equation is 1 =x463 To solve this equation, we isolate x by subtracting 62 from both sides: +6b We typically write the variable first when communicating the solution. The solution to the original equation is x = ~72. Concept: Isolate, isolate, isolate. The key to solving most equations is to get O=se _ the variable alone on one side of the equation. Addition and subtraction are not the only tools we can use to solve linear equations. Problem 5.10: Solve the equation 31x = 713. Solution for Problem 5.10: We divide both sides of the equation by 31. This leaves x alone on the left: Bix _ 713 SI 31" Since 31x/31 = x and 713/31 = 23, we have x = 23.0 In this solution we used division to change the coefficient of x from 31 to 1. We could also have viewed this as multiplying both sides of the equation by the reciprocal of the coefficient of 31x to give 3; 31x = 4-713. The 4 and 31 cancel on the left, and we have x = 3 = 23. az5.2. SOLVING LINEAR EQUATIONS | Problem 5.11: Solve the following equations: Solution for Problem 5.11: (@) We isolate t by dividing both sides of the equation by 5: st_-13, 55" Since ¥ simplifies to t, we have (b) We divide both sides by -75: ¥ as our solution. 2 ay 3 75° y. We usually write the variable first, so we can write this equation as a -75° We finish by simplifying the right-hand side: 24 24 "95 Therefore, the solution is y = -8. We can check our answer by substituting y = 4 in the original equation. We see that -75-(—3) does equal 24, so our answer is correct. Important: When solving an equation, we can check our answer by substi- 7 __ tating our answer back into the original equation. Ifthe original ‘equation is not satisfied by our answer, then we probably made a mistake and should solve the equation again. (©) To get rid of the 7 in the denominator on the left side, we multiply both sides by 7: (3) 2SCHAPTER 5. EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES, (d) At first, it might look like we can’t isolate r with one step. But if we write -% as (~3)r, we have 3 (ais Now, we can isolate r by multiplying both sides of the equation by the reciprocal of the coefficient of r, The reciprocal of ~2 is -?, and multiplying both sides of the equation by = 2-28 The product of a number and its reciprocal is 1, so the left side simplifies to r, as planned. We therefore have (-2)2 98 _ 2 2/15 2°15 5 Checking our work, we find that when r = —¥, we have 2%, Mew) 20/8 _(_ 24) 9 9 9 5-9)" 5 So, the equation is indeed satisfied when o eee 5.2.1 Solve each of the following equations: (a) +235 = 137 () 64 =-1446 10 3 7 (@) -2y+25 +3y=155 5.2.2 Solve each of the following equations: (@) ~7y=343 1 (©) 16r=35 5.2.3 Solve the equation 5 -y= 93 5.2.4 Solve the equation > 5.2.5 Solve the equation 3(r—7) = 24. 5.26% Find the value of ¢ such that x = 2 is a solution to the equation : aaSOLVING LINEAR EQUATIONS II 5.3 Solving Linear Equations II Problem 5.12: In this problem, we solve the equation 8f + 9 = 65. (a) Isolate the 8t by subtracting an appropriate constant from both sides. (6) Solve the resulting equation for t. | Problem 5.13: In this problem, we solve the equation?) ~4+3)=6+2)-4)—8. ] (a) Simplify both sides of the equation by combining like terms. (b) Add an expression to both sides of your equation from part (a) to give an equation in which no variables are on the right-hand side, (©) Solve the equation resulting from part (b). (@) Check your answer! Substitute your value of j into the original equation. If it doesn’t work, then do the problem again. [Problem 5.14: Solve the following equations: 122 © (b) 4(¢-7) = 302+ 3) (a) L Problem 5.15: Solve the following equations: &) Problem 5.16: (a) Find all values of w that satisfy Sw +3 -2w = w-8+2w-3. (©) Find all values of z that satisfy 22 ~ 8 - 52 = 2-32-10. the same] Problem 5.17: solution for ? In the last section, we used addition and subtraction to solve some equations, and used multiplication and division to solve others. To solve most linear equations, however, we'll have to use a combination of these tactics. 215CHAPTER 5. EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES. en cemencrad Problem 5.12: Solve the equation 8 + Solution for Problem 5.12: This equation doesn’t look exactly like any of the equations we already know how to solve. It may not be obvious immediately how to isolate t. However, we can isolate 8t by subtracting 9 from both sides: att 8 Now we have an equation we know how to solve! We divide both sides by 8 to find t = 7. ‘We can check our work by substituting this value for t back into our original equation. We find that 8(7) + 9 = 65, so our answer works. We didn’t have to add first when we solved this equation. We could have divided first: B49 65 3 8 We can then distribute on the left side. Since 849 _ Bt 8 8 we have te 8 8 8" We then subtract : from both sides of this equation to get t = s - 3 % 7, as before. 0 The equation in Problem 5.12 is not exactly like any of the equations we solved in the previous section. However, we were still able to solve it with the same tools, Concept: When solving an equation that isn’t exactly like an equation you O=se have solved before, try to manipulate it into a form you already | know how to deal with. | See if you can apply this strategy to the following problem. Problem 5.13: Solve the equation 7j — 4+ 3j = 6 +2j—4]-8. Solution for Problem 5.13: Our first step is to simplify both sides of the equation. By grouping like terms, the left-hand side of the original equation becomes 7j-4 43] =(7[+3)-4= 10j-4. a65.3. SOLVING LINEAR EQUATIONS II ‘The right-hand side of the original equation becomes 6+2j-4j-8 (2j - 4) + (6-8) = -2j-2. (Combining these results simplifies the original equation to 10j- -2j-2. ‘We haven't solved any equations in which the variable appears on both sides. We know how to handle an equation if the variable only appears on one side. So, we add 2/ to both sides to eliminate the variable from the right-hand side: 10j-4=-2j-2 +2) 42) 12j— Now we have an equation we know how to solve! We add 4 to both sides to get 12j = 2. We then divide by 12 to find j = 3= 1.0 ‘We now have another strategy for solving linear equations. Concept: If the variable appears on both sides of the equation, we can use O=ee addition and subtraction to get all terms with the variable on the | same side of the equation. Similarly, we use addition and subtraction to get all the constant terms on the other side of the equation. Here’s a little more practice. [Problem 5.14: Solve the following equations: — « (a) 8-132 © |) 40-7 =3@+3) @ Solution for Problem 5.14: (a) Adding 132 to both sides leaves the variable term on the left while putting all the constant terms on the right: : 1 8k= ~1255 + 135. a7CHAPTER EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES Simplifying the right-hand side gives -123 + 133 = (-12+13)+(-2 +2) = have #,sowenow 9 8k= 15 Multiplying both sides by } (which is the same as dividing both sides by 8) gives 9 _1 34 1-8-3 7 88 (b) First, we use the distributive property to expand both sides 4:t-4-7=3-28+3-3. ‘Simplifying both sides gives 4t-28 = 6t+9. Next, we get all the terms with t on one side of the equation and all the constants on the other side. Subtracting 4! from both sides gives ~28 = 2t + 9, Subtracting 9 from both sides gives -37 = 2t. Finally, dividing both sides by 2 gives (©) First, make sure you see why adding 7 to 47 doesn’t “cancel the -7." This is because 42 +7 equals ¥ - 3 +7, which is * + %. There's still a constant term; the # term is not yet isolated. Since #52 equals # - 3, we add to both sides of 2 are 9 9 to eliminate the constant on the left side and isolate ¥. Doing so gives us 2r 7 34 gSt5 5 ‘Multiplying both sides of ¥ = # by 3 givesr = #.2=17. We could have avoided fractions entirely by multiplying both sides of 252 = 3 by 9 on the first step to get 9- 252 = 27, Since 7 _ 92 9 9 2 s 9. =5Qr-7=2r-7, the 9’s cancel on the left side of 9 - > gives 2r = 34, sor = 17, as before. Checking our answer, we find that ifr = 17, then 27 to leave 2r ~7 = 27. Adding 7 to both sides z. = % =3,as required. 285.3. SOLVING LINEAR EQUATIONS II (a) We start by getting rid of the fractions. We eliminate the denominator on the right by multiplying both sides by 7: The 7's on the right-hand side cancel, because 2x-8 _7-(2x-8) ? ¥ So, we can write 7-4 = 7. 2d as 7(3x +4) =2-8. 5 Next, we multiply both sides by 5 to cancel the 5 in the denominator on the left-hand side: 732 5-8 -50x-8), The 5's on the left cancel, and we are left with 7(ax +4) = 5(2x 8). Expanding both sides gives 7(3x) + 7(4) = 5(2x) ~ 508). Simplifying both sides gives 21x + 28 = 10x — 40, and now we're in familiar territory. Subtracting 10x from both sides gives 11x +28 = -40. Subtracting 28 from both sides gives Lx = ~68. Dividing both sides by 11 gives x = —. Notice that multiplying both sides of Sx+4_2x-8 5 by the denominators of both fractions gave us 7(3x +4) = 5(2x-8). Rather than performing these multiplications as two separate steps, we will often perform both at once. Multiplying both sides of the original equation by 5 and by 7 gives ar+4 5 2 5-7 =5-7+ 219CHAPTER 5. EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES The 5 on the left cancels with the 5 in the denominator on the left, and the 7 on the right cancels with the 7 in the denominator on the right, leaving 703x +4) = 5x8). We call this process cross-multiplying. Our last example above showed another way to simplify working with equations: ‘Concept: If you don’t like dealing with fractions, you can eliminate fractions, O= Problem 5.18: Seven more than twice what number eq. Problem 5.19: Six plus half of a number equals four plus one-third of the same number. What is the number? Is thirty-five? Problem 5.20: When you add 12 to a number and then divide the sum by 13, you get the| same result as when you subtract 13 from the number and then divide the difference by 12. What is the number? (Source: MATHCOUNTS) Problem 5.21: My sister and Iare buying a television for our room. Because Tam older, Iwill | pay $45 more than my sister. If the television costs $299, then how much does my sister have| [to pay? Problem 5.22: [bought a new comic book at the Comic Book Shoppe and paid entirely using | quarters. If I had instead paid using only dimes, | would have needed 9 more coins. How | much did the comic book cost? Problem 5.23: A garage has 17 cars and motorcycles. Altogether, there are 56 wheels. How many of each type of vehicle are there? Problem 5.24: Three years ago, I was two-thirds as old as I will be eight years from now. How old am I now? Problem 5.25: In slurfball, a fizzle is worth 2 points and a globbo is worth 5 points. Kumquare| and the Wazzits recently played for the Intergalactic Slurfball Championship. During the }game, Kumquare scored eight more fizzles than the Wazzits, but scored five fewer globbos| than the Wazzits. Together the two teams scored 93 points total. What was the final score? Problem 5.18: ¢n more than twice what number equals thi Solution for Problem 5.18: ‘The first step in turning many word problems into math is assigning, a variable to an unknown quantity. Here, we let x be the unknown number. Now, we can rewrite the problem as Seven more than twice x equals thirty-five. We can write “Seven more than twice x” as 7 + 2x, so we can rewrite the problem as 7 + 2x equals thirty-five. Bee5.4. WORD PROBLEMS Nowy it’s clear how to write this as an equation: 7+2x=35. Subtracting 7 from both sides gives 2x = 28, and dividing both sides by 2 gives x = 14. Checking our answer, we see that seven more than twice 14 does indeed equal 35. Therefore, the desired number is 14. 0 Problem 5.19: Six plus half of a number equals four plus one-third of the same number. What is the number? aml Solution for Problem 5.19: We again start by assigning a variable, x, to the unknown number. ‘This makes our problem: Six plus half of x equals four plus one-third of x. Converting this sentence into an equation gives 4 4 64 frase Subtracting x from both sides gives 64 dx ix=d, 3 4, Subtracting 6 from both sides gives lx = 2. Multiplying both sides by 6 gives x=, We finish by checking our answer. Six plus half of ~12 equals 0. Four plus one-third of -12 also equals 0. So, the number is -12. 0 Problem 5.20: When you add 12 to a number and then divide the sum by 13, you get the same result as when you subtract 13 from the number and then divide the difference by 12. What is the number? (Source: MATHCOUNTS) j Solution for Problem 5.20: Let's mix it up a little bit. We'll use n for the number this time. We'll also go Straight from the words in the problem to the equation: en _u-13 3B 12 Concept: When you write an equation to represent a problem, take a moment O=se to check that your equation does correctly represent the problem before solving the equation. 1 225CHAPTER EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES Multiplying both sides by 12 and by 13 to cancel the denominators gives 12(12 +n) = 13(n - 13), Expanding both sides gives 144 + 12m = 13n - 169. Subtracting 12n from both sides gives 144 = 1 ~ 169. Adding 169 to both sides gives n = 313. Checking our answer, we see that adding 12 to 313 and dividing the sum by 13 gives 25. Subtracting 13 from 313 and then dividing the difference by 12 also gives 25. So, the desired number is indeed 313. 0 Of course, you won't often be confronted with problems written in terms of “a number” you must find. Instead, you'll usually be seeking a more meaningful unknown quantity. [Problem 5.21: My sister and I are buying a television for our room. Because I am older, I will pay $45 more than my sister. Ifthe television costs $299, then how much does my sister “have to pay? Solution for Problem 5.21: We don’t know how much I pay or how much my sister pays. To which of these quantities should we assign a variable? Concept: When assigning a variable in a problem with multiple unknown, O=ss quantities, we usually assign the variable to the unknown quantity we care most about. ‘We wish to know how much my sister pays, so let s be the number of dollars she pays. We then express how much I pay in terms of my sister’s variable. Concept: We can often express multiple unknown quantities O==a same variable. Since I pay $45 more than my sister does, I must pay s + 45 dollars. Together, we spend $299, so we must have (+45) +5 = 299. Simplifying the left side gives 2s + 45 = 299. Subtracting 45 from both sides gives 2s = 254. Dividing both sides by 2 gives s = 127. Therefore, my sister pays $127. Checking our answer, I must pay $127 +$45 = $172. Combining this with the $127 my sister pays gives $172 + $127 = $299, as expected. 0 ‘Sometimes it isn’t immediately obvious what quantity the variable should represent in a problem. 265.4. WORD PROBLEMS Problem 5.22: I bought a new comic book at the Comic Book Shoppe and paid entirely using quarters. If I had instead paid using only dimes, I would have needed 9 more coins. How much did the comic book cost? Solution for Problem 5.22: At first, it looks like we should assign a variable to the cost of the comic book. But it’s not immediately clear how we'd relate that to the information about the numbers of quarters and dimes. Concept: Sometimes you might not find a way to use your first choice for Ose assigning a variable to make an equation. If assigning a variable to the quantity you seek doesn’t seem to work, try assigning a variable to a quantity you have information about. This is especially true when you can relate this quantity to what you seek. We know something about the number of quarters I paid. Also, if we find the number of quarters I paid, then we can figure out how much the comic book costs. So, let q be the number of quarters I paid. In order to pay with dimes, I would have needed q+9 dimes. Both q quarters and q +9 dimes must equal the price of the comic book. Since q quarters is 25q cents, and q +9 dimes is 10(q +9) cents, we must have 25q = 10(q +9). Expanding the right side gives 25¢ = 104 + 90. Subtracting 107 from both sides gives 15q = 90, and dividing by 15 gives q = 6. Therefore, I paid 6 quarters for the comic book, which means the comic book cost $1.50. To check our answer, we note that 6 +9 = 15 dimes is also $1.50. 9 Problem 5.23: A garage has 17 cars and motorcycles. Altogether, there are 56 wheels. How ‘many of each type of vehicle are there? I Solution for Problem 5.23: Let c be the number of cars. Since there are 17 cars and motorcycles total, there are 17 -c motorcycles. Since each car has 4 wheels and each motorcycle has 2 wheels, the total number of wheels is 4e + 2(17 ~¢). Therefore, we must have 4e+2(17 ~c) = 56. Expanding the product on the left gives 4c + 34 - 2c = 56, and simplifying gives 2c + 34 = 56. Subtracting 34 from both sides gives 2c = 22, soc = 11. This means that there are 11 cars and 17 ~ 11 = 6 motorcycles. Checking, we find that 11 cars and 6 motorcycles together have 11-4 +6-2.= 56 wheels We also might have solved this problem with a little clever insight. If all 17 vehicles were motorcycles, then there are 17 - 2 = 34 wheels total. That's 56 ~ 34 = 22 wheels too few! Each time we replace a motorcycle with a car, the number of wheels increases by 2. So, if we start with 17 motorcycles, which together have 22 wheels too few, then we need to replace 22/2 = 11 motorcycles with 11 cars in order to have 56 wheels total. 0 27CHAPTER 5. EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES. Problem 5.24: Three years ago, I was two-thirds as old as | will be eight years from now. / How old am I now? ‘ Solution for Problem 5.24: Let my age now be n. Three years ago, my age was n — 3, and eight years from now, my age will be n +8. What's wrong with this next step: Bogus Solution: Converting the words in the problem to an equation gives | @ | L 2n- a= =n+8. We set the equation up incorrectly. The problem tells us that My age three years ago = two-thirds my age eight years from now. Since my age three years ago is m ~3, and my age eight years from now is n +8, we have the equation n-3= dn +8) Multiplying both sides by 3 gives 3(n—3) = 2(n 28) Expanding both sides gives 3-9 = 2n+16, Subtracting 2 from both sides gives - 9 = 16, and adding 9 to both sides gives n = 25, ‘Therefore, I'm 25 years old now. Checking, we see that three years ago I was 22, and eight years from now I'll be 33. Since 333) = 22, our answer is correct. 0 In our Bogus Solution to Problem 5.24, we started with the equation 21-3) = +8. Suppose we hadn't realized that we wrote the wrong equation, and proceeded to solve the equ Multiplying both sides by 3 to get rid of the fraction gives 3-3-3) = 30148), so 2(n1 — 3) = 3(71 + 8). Expanding both sides gives 2 ~ 6 = 3n +24. Subtracting 2 from both sides gives -6 = n + 24, and subtracting 24 from both sides gives -30 = n. Clearly this is ridiculous; my age can’t be negative! This is a strong clue that we made an error somewhere and we need to check our work. WARNING! Always take a moment to consider whether or not your final | __ MB answer makes sense _ — Problem 5.25: In slurfball, a fizzle is worth 2 points and a globbo is worth 5 points. Kumguare and the Wazzits recently played for the Intergalactic Slurfoall Championship. - During the game, Kumquare scored eight more fizzles than the Wazzits, but scored five fewer globbos than the Wazzits. Together the two teams scored 93 points total. What was the final score? 2285. WORD PROBLEMS Solution for Problem 5.25: Once again, itisn’t obvious what quantity a variable should represent. We do know that the two teams together scored 93 points. So, if we let Kumquare’s score be k, then the Wazzits’ score was 93 ~ k. But how will we build an equation? What else do we know about the scores of the teams? Kumquare scored eight more fizzles, which is 8 -2 = 16 points, than the Wazzits. But Kumquare scored five fewer globbos, which is 5-5 = 25 points, than the Wazzits, So, altogether, Kumquare scored 9 fewer points than the Wazzits. Since Kumquare scored k points, the Wazzits’ scored k +9 points. We now have two expressions for the same quantity, the Wazzits’ score, so we can write an equation setting these expressions equal: k49=93-k, Concept: If you find two different expressions that represent the same quan- . O=s@ | tity, then you have an equation. Adding k and subtracting 9 from both sides of k + 9 = 93 —k gives 2k = 84. Dividing by 2 gives k = 42, which means Kumquare scored 42 points and the Wazzits scored 42 +9 = 51 points. So, the final score was the Wazzits 51 points and Kumquare 42 points. 3 A key step in our solution to Problem 5.25 was assigning a variable to Kumquare’s score even though it wasn’t immediately clear how doing so would lead to an equation. Concept: Do something! Don’t wait until you see how to build an equation O=se _ toassign variables and start thinking algebraically. You may not get to the solution immediately, but you'll almost certainly do better by trying something than by not trying anything. AT a 5.4.1 Kellie thinks of a number, then doubles the number, and then multiplies the result by 3. If her final number is 65 more than her original number, then what was her original number? 54.2 If Ladd 5 to } of a number, the result is } of the number. What is the number? (Source: OEMS) 5.4.3 One of my dogs is 25 pounds heavier than the other and the two together weigh 137 pounds. How much does the heavier dog weigh? 5.4.4 What integer is tripled when nine is added to three-fourths of it? (Source: MATH- COUNTS) 5.4.5. The sum of the ages of three children is 32. The age of the oldest is twice the age of the youngest. The two older children differ by three years. What is the age of the youngest child? (Source: MOEMS) 225CHAPTER EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES 5.4.6 If the sum of six consecutive even integers is 282, then what is the largest of the integers? 5.4.7 Bobby's Bike Shack orders tires each week for its two-wheel bikes and three-wheel bikes. They order tires for all 47 of their bikes this week. If they ordered 112 tires, how many two-wheel bikes does the Bike Shack have? 5.4.8% In Problem 5.22, we solved this problem: I bought a new comic book at the Comic Book Shoppe and paid entirely using quarters. If [had instead paid using only dimes, I would have needed 9 more coins, How much did the comic book cost? We first considered assigning a variable to the cost of the comic book, but instead found a solution by assigning a variable to the number of quarters I used to buy the comic book However, it is possible to find the solution by assigning a variable to the cost of the comic book. How? Hints: 113 53.4.9% The Phillies won 3 of their first 21 games. How many games in a row after these 21 games do the Phillies have to win in order to have won exactly # of the games they have played? 5.5 Inequalities So far we've primarily dealt with expressions that are equal. In this section, we deal with expressions that are not equal. If we know that one expression is greater than another, we can write an inequality to show this relationship. For example, 2H7>5, The > symbol means “greater than,” so 2+7 > 5 tells us that 2 +7 is greater than 5. We could also write this relationship with 5 on the left side: 5<2+7. The < symbol means “less than,” so 5 < 2 +7 tells us that 5 is less than 2 + 7. Both of the inequalities above are strict inequalities, since one side must be larger than the other. We can also write nonstrict inequalities, in which one side is greater than or equal to, the other. The 2 symbol means “greater than or equal to,” so 24729 means 2 +7 is greater than or equal to9. Similarly, the < symbol means “less than or equal to.” Just as with equations, we can include variables in inequalities, such as: x>5. 2305.5. INEQUALITIES This tells us that x is greater than 5. For example, x could be 6 or 1184, but could not be -2. We can graph the values of x that satisfy the inequality on the number line, as shown below: et 2-1012345678 We draw an open circle at 5 on the number line to indicate that x = 5 is not a valid solution to the inequality x > 5. (It is not a valid solution because 5 is not greater than 5.) We bold the portion of the number line that corresponds to values of x that satisfy the inequality. Note that ‘we bold the arrow on the positive end of the number line. This indicates that all the numbers beyond the arrow in that direction are also solutions to the inequality. Just as we use an open circle to mark the end point of a strict inequality like x > 5, we use a closed circle to mark an end point of a nonstrict inequality. So, we can graph the solutions to xy $3on the number line as shown below: ’ [Problem 5.26: (a) Manuteis taller than Michael. Michael is taller than Mugsy. Is Manute taller than Mugsy?| (©) Ifa> band b >c, thenisa > c? (0) Ifa > band b <¢, then do we know which of « or cis larger? Problem 5.27: (a) Bill Gates has more money than Warren Buffett. If they each win a 100-million-dollar lottery, then will Bill Gates still have more money than Warren Buffett? What if they each give 100 million dollars to the Art of Problem Solving Foundation? Then who will have more money? |) Suppose x > y. Explain why x+5> y+5andx-5>y-5. (©) Suppose x > yanda > b. Explain why x+a>y+b. (@) Note that > Sand 3 > 2, and that 7-+2>5+3. Isit always true that ifx > y anda > b, then x+b>y+a? Problem 5.28: In this problem, we investigate what happens when we multiply both sides of| an inequality by a positive number. Suppose that x > y. (@) Must we always have 3x > 3y? (b) Must we always have 3x > 3y? () Must we always have ax > ay for any positive number a? BatCHAPTER 5. EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES Problem 5.29: In this problem, we investigate what happens when we multiply both sides of ‘an inequality by a negative number. Suppose that x > y. (a) Which is greater, -2x or ~2y? (b) Ifb <0, then which is greater, bx or by? Problem 5.30: In each of the following parts, describe the values of the variable that make the inequality true, and graph those values on the number line. (a) -2 band b > c, then isa > c? \(© Ifa> band b <¢, then do we know which of a or cis larger? Solution for Problem 5.26: (a) Because Manute is taller than Michael, Manute is taller than everyone who is shorter than Michael. Since Mugsy is one of the people who is shorter than Michael, we know that Manute is taller than Mugsy, too. (b) This is essentially the same as the first part. Because a is larger than b and b is larger than c, we know that a is larger than c. So, > ¢. ‘We can also see this on the number line. Since @ > b, a is to the right of b. Since b > c, bis to the right of c. Putting these together, 2 is to the right of ¢, soa > c. An example is shown below. - et} +} the te t 6 a Pr5.5. INEQUALITIES ‘We can put the inequalities @ > b and b > c together in a single statement, a>b>e, We sometimes call such a combination of inequalities an inequality chain. (©) Ifa > band ¢ > b, then we don’t know how to relate a and c! For example, suppose b = 2. If we have a = 3 and ¢ = 4 (3 > 2,4 > 2), thenc > a(4 > 3). However, if we havea = 4and ¢ =3(4>2,3 > 2), then we getc band b> c, thena>c. - YY Similarly, ifa& band bz ¢,thena 2. Problem 5.27: oe oo {a) Bill Gates has more money than Warren Buffett. If they each win a 100-million-dollar lottery, then will Bill Gates still have more money than Warren Buffett? What if they ? each give 100 million dollars to the Art of Problem Solving Foundation? Then who will * | have more money? (b) Suppose x > y. Explain why x+5 > y+5andx-5>y-5. (Q) Suppose x > y anda > b. Explain why x+a>y+b. (d) Note that 7 > 5 and 3 > 2, and that7+2>5+3. Isit always true that ifx > yanda > b, then x +b > y+a? Solution for Problem 5.27: (a) If they each win 100 million dollars, then each of them will have the same increase in the amount of money they have. So, the difference between the amount of money each has will stay the same. Specifically, Gates will still have more money than Bufett. Similarly, if they each donate 100 million dollars to the Art of Problem Solving Founda- tion (a very fine idea, we think), then each of them will have their wealth changed by the same amount. So, the difference between the amount of money Gates has and the amount of money Buffett has will stay the same, which means Gates would still have more money than Buffett after their donations. (b) Since x > y, we know that x is to the right of y on the number line. When we add 5 to each, we move 5 steps to the right of each on the number line. In other words, x +5 is 5 to the right of x, and y + 5is 5 to the right of y. 2aCHAPTER 5. EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES. Since 1 is to the right of (larger than) y, we know x+5 is to the right of y +5. Therefore, we have x+5>y+5. Subtraction is moving left on the number line. Just as with addition, moving 5 units to the left of x and y will leave us with x-5>y—5, Similarly, we can add or subtract any number to both sides of an inequality. Important: If.x > y, then x +a > y+afor any number a. Y__lx2y,thenx+a2 y+aforany number a. In other words, we can add the same quantity to both sides of an inequality, just like we can add the same quantity to both sides of an equation. (© We'll use another Bill Gates and Warren Buffett example to get a sense for what this part is telling us. Suppose that Bill starts with more money than Warren has. Then, imagine they both win a contest in which Bill wins more money than Warren wins. Since Bill started with more money than Warren, and then Bill’s money increased by more than Warren’s increased, Bill must end with more money than Warren. Returning to the problem, we are given x > y and a > b. From the previous part, we know that adding a to both sides of x > y gives xta>yta, So, if we show that y+a > y +b, then we will know that x +a is also greater than y +b. We are given a > b, and adding y to both sides of a > b gives us the inequality ytaryth Therefore, we havex+a>y+taandy+a>y+D,sox+a>y+b. Important: Ifx>yanda> 6, thenx+a>y+b. x2 yandaz,thenx+azytb. In other words, if we have two inequalities, then the sum of the! larger sides of the inequalities is greater than the sum of the smaller sides of the inequalities. | (d) No! It is not always true that x +b > y+aifx> yanda > b. For example, note that 9 > 8 and 5 > 2, but 9 +2 is not greater than 8 +5. If all we know is that x > y and a > b, we cannot tell which of x +b and y +a is greater (they could even be equal). 234INEQUALITIES We've tackled addition and subtraction; let’s try multiplication and division. Problem 5.28: In this problem, we investigate what happens when we multiply both sides of an inequality by a positive number. Suppose that x > y. (a) Must we always have 3x > 3y? (b) Must we always have 3x > 3y? (©) Must we always have ax > ay for any positive number a? Solution for Problem 5.28: (a) Earlier, we saw that ifx > yanda > b, then x+a > y+b. Therefore, adding x > y to another copy of x > y gives x +x> y+ y, so 2x > 2y. Similarly, adding 2x > 2y and x > y gives 3x > 3y. (b) Unfortunately, we can’t use the same process we used in part (a). We need to prove something about products. One thing we know about products and inequalities is that the product of two positive numbers is greater than 0. So, let’s see if we can use that. We already have one positive number, 3. Because x > y, we can subtract y from (or add —y to) both sides of the inequality to get x — y > 0. So, we have another positive number, x~ y. The product of the positive numbers ? and x — y must be positive, so we have Fe- y>0. Expanding the left side gives 3x — 3y > 0, and adding 3y to both sides gives 3x > 3y. (©) We can use the same steps as in the previous part. Subtracting y from both sides of x > y gives x — y > 0. The product of the two positive numbers a and x — y must be positive: a(x y) > 0. Expanding the left side gives ax — ay > 0, and adding ay to both sides gives ax > ay. Now we have some rules for multiplying inequalities by positive numbers. Important: Ifx > y anda >0, then ax > ay. xe yanda>0,thenar > ay. In other words, we can multiply both sides of an inequality by the ly both sides of an same positive number, just like we can mul equation by the same positive number. 235CHAPTER 5. EQUATIONS AND INEQUALITIES. ‘These rules take care of division, too, since dividing by a number is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal. For example, if x > y, then 3 > 4, since dividing by 2s the same as multiplying by J. However, the rules above only hold for multiplying (or dividing) by a positive number. We have to be careful when dealing with negative numbers. Problem 5.29: In this problem, we investigate what happens when we multiply both sides, of an inequality by a negative number. Suppose that x > y. (a) Which is greater, -2x or -2y? (b) Ifb <0, then which is greater, bx or by? Solution for Problem 5.29: (a) To get a feel for the problem, we experiment. If we start with 7>5, we get (-2)-7 = -14 and (-2)-5 = -10, so, since -14 < -10, we have (-2)-7<(-2)-5. If we start with u>-6, ‘we get (-2)- 11 = -22 and (-2) - (-6) = 12, so, since -22 < 12, we have (-2)-11 < (-2)-(-6). Our experiments suggest that when we multiply both sides of an inequality by -2, we must reverse the inequality sign. ‘We do know what happens when we multiply both sides of an inequality by a positive number. So, instead of starting by multiplying both sides of x > y by ~2, we start by multiplying both sides by positive 2. This gives us 2x > 2y. But we want to compare ~2x and ~2y. So we subtract 2y from both sides of 2x > 2y to get 2x ~ 2y > 0, and then we subtract 2x from both sides to get —2y > —2x. Since -2y > —2r, we have ~2x < ~2y, We also could have used a similar argument to the one we used to show that if x > y, then 3x > 2y. There, we started by subtracting y from both sides of x > y to get.x~ y > 0. Then, we noted that the product of two positive numbers must be positive, so 2(x~ y) > 0. Suppose we instead multiply x—y by ~2. The product of a positive and a negative number is negative, so ~2(x - y) < 0. Expanding the left-hand side gives ~2x ~ (~2y) < 0, so -2x <~2y. We conclude that if xy then ~2x < -2y. 236INEQUALITIES (b) We expect that multiplying both sides of x > y by any negative number b will result in reversing the direction of the inequality. To see why this is true, we look back to our work when multiplying an inequality by a positive number, Concept: Considering similar problems that you know how to solve can help. | O=ss you solve new problems. Our key step in investigating multiplying an inequality by a positive number was noticing that the product of two positive numbers is positive. To use this fact, we subtracted y from both sides of x > y to get x ~ y > 0. Next, we noted that multiplying x - y, which is positive, by a positive number gives a positive result. What if we instead multiply x ~ y by a negative number? The product of a positive number and a negative number must be negative. So, the product of the positive number x — y and the negative number b is negative: b(r-y) <0. Expanding the left side gives bx—by < 0. Adding by to both sides give bx < by, as expected. So, when we multiply both sides of xoy by a negative number b we reverse the inequality sign and have by < by. We now know how to multiply an inequality by a negative number: Important: If we multiply an inequality by a negative number, we must re- Vv verse the direction of the inequality. That is, if x > y and a < 0, then ax < ay. Similarly, if x > y and a <0, then ax < ay. As with our rules for multiplying by a positive number, these rules take care of division, since dividing by a number is the same as multiplying by its reciprocal. So, for example, if we have x > y, then 4 < +, since dividing by ~2 is the same as multiplying by WARNING! Be careful when multiplying or dividing an inequality by a i negative number or by an expression that could be negative. ‘Now that we know how to work with inequalities, let's turn to solving inequalities that have variables. Solving an equation with a variable means finding what values of the variable make the equation true. Similarly, solving an inequality that has a variable means describing exactly what values of the variable make the inequ: 237