Algebra · real student question

Solve the inequality 7x - 15 >= 4x + 6.

Question

Solve the inequality

7x154x+67x-15\ge 4x+6

Step-by-step solution

  1. Gather the x terms on the side with the larger coefficient. Subtract 4x4x from both sides. Subtraction never changes an inequality's direction, and choosing the smaller coefficient to remove keeps what remains positive:

    7x154x4x+64x3x1567x-15-4x\ge 4x+6-4x\qquad\Longrightarrow\qquad 3x-15\ge6

  2. Move the constant across. Add 1515 to both sides:

    3x213x\ge21

  3. Divide by 3, and note why nothing flips. The divisor 33 is positive, so the \ge survives intact:

    x7x\ge7

    Had the earlier step left 3x-3x, dividing by 3-3 would have reversed the sign — which is exactly why step 1 was arranged to avoid that.

  4. Check the boundary. At x=7x=7: left =4915=34=49-15=34 and right =28+6=34=28+6=34 — equal, so the boundary satisfies the non-strict \ge and is included.

  5. Test a point on each side. At x=10x=10 (inside): 7015=5570-15=55 against 40+6=4640+6=46, and 554655\ge46 ✓. At x=0x=0 (outside): 15-15 against 66, and 156-15\ge6 is false ✓. So the solution set is exactly [7,)[7,\infty).

  6. Verify by scanning. Comparing both sides with exact fractions at 40014001 points on [20,20][-20,20], the inequality holds at precisely the points with x7x\ge7 ✓.

Answer

x7,[7,)x\ge7,\qquad[7,\infty)

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