#3: Inequalities & the Number Line

Question 1

The number line allows us to visually display two key properties:

Answer 1

Numbers increase from left to right: →
Numbers decrease from right to left: ←

Question 2

Think about the relationship between the numbers 3 and 6, which is larger?

Answer 2

Most of you understand 6 is the larger number without using a number line. It’s easiest to think about this example using money. If I have $6, I know that I have more than if I only have $3.

Question 3

In math, we can place certain symbols between two quantities to show the relationship between the numbers:

Answer 3

”=” : Equals, the two quantities are equal
“≠” : Not Equal, the two quantities are not equal
“<” : Less Than, the left quantity is less than the right quantity
“>” : Greater Than, the left quantity is greater than the right quantity

Question 4

Going back to the numbers 6, and 3, we can arrange 6 and 3 in such a way that 3 out of the 4 symbols could be used to describe their relationship to each other.

Answer 4

6 ≠ 3 : 6 is not equal to 3
6 > 3 : 6 is greater than 3
3 < 6 : 3 is less than 6