How to solve inequalities.
Solving an inequality works almost exactly like solving an equation, with one rule that catches everyone: flip the sign when you multiply or divide by a negative. Study Butler makes sure that rule sticks by showing why it is true.
Here is what that looks like.
Study Butler will not print the answer. It points at the next step and lets your kid take it.
An example. The butler answers the question with a question.
solve negative 2x is less than 6.
you would divide by negative 2. but something special happens when you divide by a negative. do you remember what.
the sign flips?
yes. so which way does the less-than turn. write it out.
Where students get stuck.
The same few mistakes come up again and again. Here is where the butler slows things down.
01Forgetting to flip the sign with a negative
Dividing or multiplying by a negative reverses the inequality, and this is the number-one error. Study Butler flags the moment a negative shows up.
02Treating it exactly like an equation
Most steps match, which lulls students into forgetting the one difference. The butler keeps your kid alert to where inequalities behave differently.
03Misreading the solution on a number line
An inequality has a range of answers, not a single one. Study Butler has your kid describe what the solution means rather than stopping at a symbol.
Bring the problem they're stuck on.
Type it, say it, or snap a photo. Study Butler walks your kid to the answer one question at a time, so they learn it instead of copying it.
Create a free accountQuestions parents ask.
When do you flip the inequality sign?
How is solving an inequality different from an equation?
Keep going.
More on math, taught the same way. Or see every math topic.