Range of Values For Inequalities

  • Context:
  • Thread starter Thread starter kc1895
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Inequalities Range
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
1 reply · 2K views
kc1895
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Here is a basic inequality question for which I cannot understand the answer:

If $$-1<a-b<10 ,and -3\le b\le1$$ then what inequality represents the range of values of a2?

I plug-in -3 and 1 for b for boundaries and get -4<a<11.
Since the boundary is for a2, the range would be 16<a2<121.

But why would this be incorrect?

Thanks for your help!
 
Mathematics news on Phys.org
Given that:

$$-4<a<11$$

this implies:

$$0\le|a|<11$$

Now, using:

$$|x|\equiv\sqrt{x^2}$$

we may write:

$$0\le\sqrt{a^2}<11$$

And so squaring through the compound inequality, we obtain:

$$0\le a^2<121$$
 
Last edited by a moderator: