Inequality


An inequality is a relation between two numbers that indicates their relative sizes.

If \(a > b\), then \(a\) is greater than \(b.\)
If \(a < b\), then \(a\) is less than \(b.\)
If \(a \ge b\), then \(a\) is greater than or equal to \(b\), "at least" \(b.\)
If \(a \le b\), then \(a\) is less than or equal to \(b\), "at most" \(b.\)

Now, consider their negations. If it is not true that \(a > b\), then either \(a < b\) or \(a = b\), which can be translated into \(a \le b.\) The same reasoning shows the negation of \(a < b\) is \(a \ge b.\) Similarly, if it is not true that \(a \ge b\), it is only possible for \(a < b\) to be true. Finally, if \(a \le b\) is a false statement, then \(a > b\) is a true statement.

If \(a > b\), it is also true that \(a \ge b.\) This is because the "greater than or equal to" requirement has been satisfied by "greater than" being true. You can apply the same logic to \(a < b\) to obtain \(a \le b.\)

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