Review of Inequalities

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1.3 REVIEW OF INEQUALITIES

All our work with inequalities is based on the order properties of the real numbers given in Section 1.2. In this section we work with the type if inequalities that arise frequently in calculus, inequalities that involve a variable. To solve an inequality in x is to find the numbers x that satisfy the inequality. These numbers constitute a set, called the solution set of the inequality. We solve inequalities much as we solve an equation, but there is one important difference. We can maintain an inequality by adding the same number to both sides, or by subtracting the same number from both sides, or by multiplying or dividing both sides by the same positive number. But if we multiply or divide by a negative number, then the inequality is reversed:

Example 1
Solve the inequality

SOLUTION
Multiplying both sides of the inequality by , we have

Subtracting 4, we get To isolate x, we multiply by The solution set is the interval . This gives .

There are generally several ways to solve a given inequality. For example, the last inequality could have been solved as follows:

To solve a quadratic inequality, we try to factor the quadratic. Failing that, we can complete the square and go on from there. This second method always works.

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Example 2
Solve the inequality

SOLUTION
Factoring the quadratic, we obtain The product is zero at 1 and 3. Mark these points on a number line (Figure 1.3.1). The points 1 and 3 separate three intervals:

Figure 1.3.1

On each of these intervals the product

keeps a constant sign:

The product .

is positive on the open intervals

and

. The solution set is the union

Example 3
Solve the inequality

SOLUTION
Not seeing immediately how to factor the quadratic, we use the method that always works: completing the square. Note that

This tells us that

and thus there are no numbers that satisfy the inequality we are trying to solve. To put it in terms of sets, the solution set is the empty set .

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In practice we frequently come to expressions of the form

positive integers, . Such an expression is zero at , . It is positive on those intervals where the number of negative factors is even and negative on those intervals where the number of negative factors is odd. Take, for instance,

This product is zero at

. It is

See Figure 1.3.2.

Figure 1.3.2

Example 4
Solve the inequality

SOLUTION
We view zero at as the product of three factors: . These points separate the intervals , . The product is

On each of these intervals the product keeps a constant sign:

See Figure 1.3.3.

Figure 1.3.3

The solution set is the open interval

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This approach to solving inequalities will be justified in Section 2.6

Inequalities and Absolute Value

Now we take up inequalities that involve absolute values. With an eye toward developing the concept of limits (Chapter 2), we introduce two Greek letters: (delta) and (epsilon). As you know, for each real number a (1.3.1)

We begin with the inequality where is some positive number. To say that and . Thus is to say that x lies within units of 0 or, equivalently, that x lies between

(1.3.2)

The solution set is the open interval To say that

. and . Thus

is to say that x lies within units of c or, equivalently, that x lies between

(1.3.3)

The solution set is the open interval Somewhat more delicate is the inequality

Here we have (1.3.4)

with the additional requirement that

. Consequently,

The solution set is the union of two open intervals:

The following results are an immediate consequence of what we just showed.

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Example 5
Solve the inequality

SOLUTION
Once we recognize that , we are in familiar territory.

The solution set is the open interval

Example 6
Solve the inequality

SOLUTION
Since

the inequality can be written

This gives

The solution set is the open interval

Alternative Solution There is usually more than one way to solve an inequality. In this case, for example, we can write

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as and proceed from there. Adding 4 to the inequality, we get

Division by 3 gives the result we had before:

Let (1.3.5)

. If you think of

as the distance between a and 0, then

Example 7
Solve the inequality

SOLUTION
In general

So here

The first possibility gives

and thus

The second possibility gives

and thus

The total solution is therefore the union

We come now to one of the fundamental inequalities of calculus: for all real numbers a and b, (1.3.6)

This is called the triangle inequality in analogy with the geometric observation that in any triangle the length of

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each side is less than or equal to the sum of the lengths of the other two sides. PROOF OF THE TRIANGLE INEQUALITY The key here is to think of as . Note first that

Comparing the extremes of the inequality and taking square roots, we have

The result follows from observing that

Here is a variant of the triangle inequality that also comes up in calculus: for all real numbers a and b, (1.3.7)

The proof is left to you as an exercise.

EXERCISES 1.3
Exercises 120. Solve the inequality and mark the solution set on a number line. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 2 12. 3 13. x 14. 15. 16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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17. 18. 19. 20. . .

. .

Exercises 2136. Solve the inequality and express the solution set as an interval or as the union of intervals. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. . . . . . | < . Find c and . . . . . . . . . . . .

Exercises 3742. Each of the following sets is the solution of an inequality of the form | 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. . for which the statement is true. . . . . .

Exercises 4346. Determine all numbers 43. If 44. If 45. If 46. If , then , then , then . . . .

, then 47. Arrange the following in order:

, given that: (a)

; (b)

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48. Given that

, compare

49. Suppose that 50. Given that 51. Show that if 52. Show that 53. Show that 54. Show that 55. Show that

. Show that if and

, then , then

. .

, show that if , then .

for all real numbers a and b. for all real numbers a and b. HINT: Calculate iff . .

56. Let a, b, c be nonnegative numbers. Show that

57. Show that if a and b are real numbers and arithmetic mean of a and b. 58. Given that , show that

, then

. The number

is called the

The number

is called the geometric mean of a and b.

Copyright 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

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