Linear Inequalities

Libeeth B. Guevarra
Daisy A. Romeo
Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

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Introduction

There are many problems in business and industry in which we are

interested in making decisions that will involve maximizing or
minimizing some quantities. For instance, a construction company
wants to minimize the time for building structures, an investor may
want to select investments that will maximize profit, and a shipping
company wants to ship goods at a minimum cost. Here we will use
geometric solution in dealing this kind of problem.

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 Linear Inequations or Inequalities and Their Graphs
An inequality is a mathematical satement that one quantity or
expression is greater than or less than another quantity or expression.
The symbols > (greater than) and < (leass than) are used in an
inequality. If we write a ≥ b (read ”a is greater than or equal to b)
we mean that either a > b or a = b. Similarly, a ≤ b (read ”a is less
than or equal to b) means that either a < b or a = b.

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 Examples of linear inequalities

x ≤ 5 → ”x is less than 5”
2y > 7 → ”2y is greater than 7”
x − 2y ≥ 10 → ”x − 2y is greater than or equal to 10”.

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 Steps in graphing of linear inequalities
A solution of the inequality is any number that satisfies the
inequality and the set of all solutions is called a solution set. The
graphical presentation of a solution set inequality is a plane. Below
are the steps in sketching the graph:
1. Change the relation form inequality to equality to determine the
boundary of the plane
say for example: for x − 2y ≥ 10 the boundary of its graph is
x − 2y = 10.

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 2. Sketch the boundary line.
Continuing above example we have,

The cartesian plane is now divided into two, upper plane (above the
line) and the lower plane (below the line) one of these plane is the
representation of the solution set.

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 3. Pick a test point on each plane (upper plane and lower plane)and
substitute the coordinates of the point to the inequality.
(A test point is any point on a plane.)

Test point for the upper plane we pick (4, 2): 4 − 2(2) = 0 → not
greater than 10 (fails to hold).
Test point for the lower plane we pick (20, −10): 20 − 2(−10) = 40
obviously greater than 10 (satisfies the inequality!).

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 4. Shade the region/plane where the point that satisfies the
inequality is located.
In our example point (20, −10) satisfies the inequality x − 2y ≥ 10
and it is located at the lower plane.

And we are done!

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Systems of linear inequalities using graphical
method

A system of linear inequalities is composed of two or more

inequalities in which we are interested on the solution. The solution
set of a system is the region that satisfies all the given inequalities,
that is the intersection of the regions satisfying each inequality.

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 Example systems of linear inequalities using graphical method
Show solution of the given system of inequalities.
3x + y ≤6
x + y ≤4
solution of 3x + y ≤ 6 solution of x + y ≤ 4

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 Combine the graphs of inequalities (b) and (c), we have

The common region is the solution of the system!

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 Now, if we want to determine the extreme point/points of the
common region you just need to solve the intersection between the
boundary lines.
In the above example we have the following

Inequalities Boundaries
3x + y ≤ 6 3x + y = 6
x +y ≤4 x +y =4

The intersection between 3x + y = 6 and x + y = 4 is (1, 3).

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 Show the solution of the given system of inequalities.

3x + y ≤ 12
x +y ≤6
x ≥0
y ≥0

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 Combining the graphs of inequalities
3x + y ≤ 12; x + y ≤ 6; x ≥ 0; y ≥ 0

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 The common region is the solution of the system:
3x + y ≤ 12; x + y ≤ 6; x ≥ 0; y ≥ 0

The points (0,0), (0,6), (3,3), and (4,0) encloses the region.

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 source:
Mathematics in the Modern World
by Rosalena and Siangco

graphs are done using geogebra (https://www.geogebra.org/classic)

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