Linear inequality

In mathematics a linear inequality is an

inequality which involves a linear function.
A linear inequality contains one of the
symbols of inequality:[1]. It shows the data
which is not equal in graph form.

< is less than

> is greater than
≤ is less than or equal to
≥ is greater than or equal to
 ≠ is not equal to
= is equal to

A linear inequality looks exactly like a

linear equation, with the inequality sign
replacing the equality sign.

Linear inequalities of real

numbers
Two-dimensional linear
inequalities
 Graph of linear inequality:
x + 3y < 9

Two-dimensional linear inequalities are

expressions in two variables of the form:

where the inequalities may either be strict

or not. The solution set of such an
inequality can be graphically represented
by a half-plane (all the points on one "side"
of a fixed line) in the Euclidean plane.[2]
The line that determines the half-planes
(ax + by = c) is not included in the solution
set when the inequality is strict. A simple
procedure to determine which half-plane is
in the solution set is to calculate the value
of ax + by at a point (x0, y0) which is not on
the line and observe whether or not the
inequality is satisfied.

For example,[3] to draw the solution set of

x + 3y < 9, one first draws the line with
equation x + 3y = 9 as a dotted line, to
indicate that the line is not included in the
solution set since the inequality is strict.
Then, pick a convenient point not on the
line, such as (0,0). Since 0 + 3(0) = 0 < 9,
this point is in the solution set, so the half-
plane containing this point (the half-plane
"below" the line) is the solution set of this
linear inequality.

Linear inequalities in general

dimensions

In Rn linear inequalities are the

expressions that may be written in the
form

or

where f is a linear form (also called a linear

functional), and b
a constant real number.
More concretely, this may be written out as

or

Here are called the

unknowns, and are called
the coefficients.

Alternatively, these may be written as

or

where g is an affine function.[4]

That is
or

Note that any inequality containing a

"greater than" or a "greater than or equal"
sign can be rewritten with a "less than" or
"less than or equal" sign, so there is no
need to define linear inequalities using
those signs.

Systems of linear inequalities

A system of linear inequalities is a set of

linear inequalities in the same variables:
Here are the unknowns,
are the coefficients
of the system, and are the
constant terms.

This can be concisely written as the matrix

inequality

where A is an m×n matrix, x is an n×1

column vector of variables, and b is an
m×1 column vector of constants.
In the above systems both strict and non-
strict inequalities may be used.

Not all systems of linear inequalities

have solutions.

Applications

Polyhedra

The set of solutions of a real linear

inequality constitutes a half-space of the
'n'-dimensional real space, one of the two
defined by the corresponding linear
equation.

The set of solutions of a system of linear

inequalities corresponds to the
intersection of the half-spaces defined by
individual inequalities. It is a convex set,
since the half-spaces are convex sets, and
the intersection of a set of convex sets is
also convex. In the non-degenerate cases
this convex set is a convex polyhedron
(possibly unbounded, e.g., a half-space, a
slab between two parallel half-spaces or a
polyhedral cone). It may also be empty or
a convex polyhedron of lower dimension
confined to an affine subspace of the n-
dimensional space Rn.

Linear programming
A linear programming problem seeks to
optimize (find a maximum or minimum
value) a function (called the objective
function) subject to a number of
constraints on the variables which, in
general, are linear inequalities.[5] The list of
constraints is a system of linear
inequalities.

Generalization
The above definition requires well-defined
operations of addition, multiplication and
comparison; therefore, the notion of a
linear inequality may be extended to
ordered rings, and in particular to ordered
fields.

Notes
1. Miller & Heeren 1986, p. 355
2. Technically, for this statement to be
correct both a and b can not simultaneously
be zero. In that situation, the solution set is
either empty or the entire plane.
3. Angel & Porter 1989, p. 310
4. In the 2-dimensional case, both linear
forms and affine functions are historically
called linear functions because their graphs
are lines. In other dimensions, neither type
of function has a graph which is a line, so
the generalization of linear function in two
dimensions to higher dimensions is done by
means of algebraic properties and this
causes the split into two types of functions.
However, the difference between affine
functions and linear forms is just the
addition of a constant.
5. Angel & Porter 1989, p. 373

References
Angel, Allen R.; Porter, Stuart R. (1989), A
Survey of Mathematics with Applications
(3rd ed.), Addison-Wesley, ISBN 0-201-
13696-1
Miller, Charles D.; Heeren, Vern E. (1986),
Mathematical Ideas (5th ed.), Scott,
 Foresman, ISBN 0-673-18276-2

External links
Khan Academy: Linear inequalities, free
online micro lectures

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