GCSE Maths – Algebra

Solving Linear Inequalities

Notes

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Solving Linear Inequalities
Inequalities
Inequalities are equations which contain signs such as <, >, ≤ and ≥. The meaning of the
inequality signs are as below:

• > means greater than

• < means less than
• ≥ means greater than or equal to
• ≤ means less than or equal to

For example,
5<7
−3 > −4
2≥0
−9 ≤ 3
6 ≤ 6.
The difference between < and ≤ is whether the starting number is included.

For example,
𝑥𝑥 < 4 means 𝑥𝑥 can take values 3, 2, 1, 0, −1, ….
𝑥𝑥 ≤ 4 means 𝑥𝑥 can take values 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, −1, …

Inequalities can be expressed on a number line.

• A solid circle is used to represent inequalities with ≤ and ≥ signs. Solid circles
mean the number indicated is included within the answer range.

• An open circle is used to represent inequalities with > and < signs. Open circles
mean the number indicated is excluded from the answer range.

Inequality

𝑥𝑥 < 4

𝑥𝑥 > −1

𝑥𝑥 ≥ 0

𝑥𝑥 ≤ 2

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Using Set Notation to Present Inequalities (Higher Only)
You may be asked to present your answers in set notation rather than on a number line. In
this case, you need to use the curly bracket to include your answer. Below are two examples
on how to write set notations.
Inequality: 𝑥𝑥 ≥ 7
Set notation: { 𝑥𝑥 ∶ 𝑥𝑥 ≥ 7 }

Inequality: 𝑦𝑦 ≤ 14
Set notation: { 𝑦𝑦 ∶ 𝑦𝑦 ≤ 14 }

Note, the colon represents “such as”. So, the first curly bracket set should be read as “𝑥𝑥
such that 𝑥𝑥 is greater than or equal to 7”.

Solving linear inequalities

Solving linear inequalities is quite similar to solving linear equations. However, there are
several basic principles:

• The inequality sign should be reversed when it is divided or multiplied by a

negative integer.

For example, if −𝑥𝑥 < 2 then dividing by −1 gives 𝑥𝑥 > −2 since we must flip
the direction of the inequality sign. You can think of it as adding 𝑥𝑥 to both
sides of the inequality and then subtracting 2 from both sides of the
inequality.

Example: Solve the inequality 6 − 4𝑥𝑥 ≥ 18. Present your answer in a number line.
1. Ensure only the unknown is present on one side of the inequality.

6 − 4𝑥𝑥 ≥ 18
Subtract 6 from both sides of the equation:

−4𝑥𝑥 ≥ 12

2. Solve for 𝒙𝒙, ensuring 𝑥𝑥 has a positive sign.

−4𝑥𝑥 ≥ 12
Divide both sides of the equation by −4, remembering to flip the direction of the inequality
sign:
𝑥𝑥 ≤ −3

Hence, the final answer is 𝒙𝒙 ≤ −𝟑𝟑.

3. Draw a number line to illustrate the answer. Since the sign used here is ≤ , a solid circle
should be used.

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Compound inequalities
Compound inequalities are statements which contain a combination of two inequalities.
They can be solved by splitting the inequalities into two parts, solving each part separately,
and then finding the values which satisfy both results.

Example: Solve the inequality 6𝑥𝑥 − 5 ≤ 5𝑥𝑥 − 4 > 4(𝑥𝑥 − 2).

Present your answer in a number line and list down the integer solutions.

1. Split the inequality into two parts.

a) 6𝑥𝑥 − 5 ≤ 5𝑥𝑥 − 4
b) 5𝑥𝑥 − 4 > 4(𝑥𝑥 − 2)

2. Solve the inequality separately.

a) 6𝑥𝑥 − 5 ≤ 5𝑥𝑥 − 4

Subtract 5𝑥𝑥 from both sides of the inequality:

𝑥𝑥 − 5 ≤ −4

Add 5 to both sides of the equation:

𝒙𝒙 ≤ 𝟏𝟏

b) 5𝑥𝑥 − 4 > 4(𝑥𝑥 − 2)

Expand the bracket:
5𝑥𝑥 − 4 > 4𝑥𝑥 − 8

Subtract 4𝑥𝑥 from both sides of the inequality:

𝑥𝑥 − 4 > −8

Add 4 to both sides of the inequality:

𝒙𝒙 > −𝟒𝟒

Putting 𝑥𝑥 ≤ 1 together with 𝑥𝑥 > −4, we obtain −𝟒𝟒 < 𝒙𝒙 ≤ 𝟏𝟏.

3. Draw a number line to illustrate the answer for both parts.

A solid circle is drawn at 𝑥𝑥 = 1 since the inequality at 𝑥𝑥 = 1 is inclusive.

4. List the set of integers which satisfy the number line.

The values which satisfy −𝟒𝟒 < 𝒙𝒙 ≤ 𝟏𝟏 are 𝒙𝒙 = −𝟑𝟑, −𝟐𝟐, −𝟏𝟏, 𝟎𝟎, 𝟏𝟏.

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Solving linear inequalities with two variables (Higher only)
Some inequalities may have two variables such as 𝑥𝑥 and 𝑦𝑦. These inequalities require us to
sketch a graph.

Some key important points when sketching a graph for inequalities:

• Treat the inequality just like a normal equation when initially sketching the graph.
• If the inequality has a ≥ or ≤ sign, a solid line should be drawn. This represents the
fact that values on the line are included.
• If the inequality has a > or < sign, a dashed line should be drawn. This represents
the fact that values on the line are not included.

Example: Solve the inequality 𝑥𝑥 + 𝑦𝑦 > 3𝑥𝑥 + 3

1. Ensure only 𝑦𝑦 is present on the left-hand side and 𝑥𝑥 is on the right hand side of the
equation.
𝑥𝑥 + 𝑦𝑦 > 3𝑥𝑥 + 3
Subtract 𝑥𝑥 from both sides:
𝑦𝑦 > 2𝑥𝑥 + 3

2. Find the 𝒙𝒙 −intercept and the 𝒚𝒚 −intercept to find coordinates on the line.

To find the 𝑥𝑥 −intercept, 𝑦𝑦 is set equal to 0:

𝑦𝑦 = 2𝑥𝑥 + 3
0 = 2𝑥𝑥 + 3
𝑥𝑥 = −1.5

To find the 𝑦𝑦 −intercept, 𝑥𝑥 is set equal to 0:

𝑦𝑦 = 2(0) + 3
𝑦𝑦 = 3
5. Plot both the 𝑥𝑥 −intercept and the 𝑦𝑦 −intercept and draw the line which passes through
these points. Since our inequality has a > sign, the line drawn should be a dotted line.

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6. Shade the correct region which satisfies the inequality. You could choose a
coordinate in a region and substitute it into the inequality. If the number satisfies the
inequality, the region where the coordinate lies should be shaded.

For 𝑦𝑦 > 2𝑥𝑥 + 3, this means the value of 𝑦𝑦 should always be greater than the dotted
line. Since 𝑦𝑦 is greater in the upper region of the graph, that region should be shaded.

Alternatively, we can also choose a point in the upper region to check the answer.
For instance, if we choose a point (−2,2) and substitute it into the inequality, as shown
below, we will get a correct statement. This means that the upper region should be
shaded.
(2) > 2 (−2) + 3

2 > −1

Example: Solve the inequality 3𝑥𝑥 + 𝑦𝑦 < −8𝑥𝑥 − 10

1. Ensure only 𝑦𝑦 is present on the left-hand side and 𝑥𝑥 is on the right-hand side.

3𝑥𝑥 + 𝑦𝑦 < −8𝑥𝑥 − 10

Subtract 3𝑥𝑥 from both sides of the equation:

𝑦𝑦 < −11𝑥𝑥 − 10

7. Find the 𝒙𝒙 −intercept and the 𝒚𝒚 −intercept to find coordinates on the line.

To find the 𝑥𝑥 −intercept, 𝑦𝑦 should be equal to 0:

𝑦𝑦 = −11𝑥𝑥 − 10
0 = −11𝑥𝑥 − 10
10
𝑥𝑥 = −
11

To find the 𝑦𝑦 −intercept, 𝑥𝑥 should be equal to 0:

𝑦𝑦 = −11(0) − 10
𝑦𝑦 = −10

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8. Plot both the 𝑥𝑥 −intercept and the 𝑦𝑦 −intercept and draw the line connecting the two
points. Since our inequality has a < sign, the line drawn should be a dotted line.

9. Shade the correct region which satisfies the inequality. You could choose a
coordinate in a region and substitute it into the inequality. If the number satisfies
the inequality, the region where the coordinate lies should be shaded.

For 𝑦𝑦 < −11𝑥𝑥 − 10, we can also choose a point in the upper region to check our
answer. For instance, if we choose a point (−3,0) and substitute it in the inequality (as
shown below), we get a correct statement. Therefore, region containing this point
should be shaded.
(0) < −11(−3) − 10

0 < 23

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 Solving Linear Inequalities – Practice Questions

1. Solve the following inequalities and present your answer in a number line:

a) 2𝑥𝑥 + 1 ≥ 5 + 𝑥𝑥

b) 2(𝑥𝑥 + 2) < −14 − 𝑥𝑥

c) 𝑥𝑥 − 6 ≥ 4𝑥𝑥 + 3

d) −4(𝑥𝑥 − 5) ≤ −3(2𝑥𝑥 − 7)

2. Solve the following inequalities. List the integers in each solution set.

a) 1 ≤ 2𝑦𝑦 − 1 ≤ 6

b) −6 < 3(𝑝𝑝 − 1) ≥ 4𝑝𝑝 − 9

(Higher only) – Practice Questions

3. Solve the following inequalities and present your answers in a graph.

a) 3𝑥𝑥 − 𝑦𝑦 < 8𝑦𝑦 + 2

b) 2𝑔𝑔 + 2𝑚𝑚 ≥ 7𝑔𝑔 − 10

Worked solutions for the practice questions can be found amongst the worked solutions for the
corresponding worksheet file.

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