Inequality Word Problems

An inequality is a mathematical statement that compares two expressions and shows that one is greater than, less than, greater than or equal to, or less than or equal to the other.

'≥' means 'greater than or equal to'. It indicates that the value on the left is either greater than or equal to the value on the right.

'≤' means 'less than or equal to'. It indicates that the value on the left is either less than or equal to the value on the right.

You can represent this situation using an inequality, such as $$x \text{ (number of items collected)} \text{ ≥ minimum required}$$ .

The inequality is $$520 + 6x ≥ 1000$$ .

Subtract 520 from both sides: $$6x ≥ 480$$ .

Divide both sides by 6: $$x ≥ 80$$ .

The inequality is $$80 + 8x ≥ 176$$ , where x is the number of video games sold.

Set up an inequality that represents the total cost and solve for the number of items.

The inequality is $$6.89 + 0.59x ≤ 8.50$$ , where x is the number of pens.