Inequation

In mathematics, an inequation is a statement that an inequality holds between two values. It is usually written in the form of a pair of expressions denoting the values in question, with a relational sign between them indicating the specific inequality relation. Some examples of inequations are: In some cases, the term "inequation" can be considered synonymous to the term "inequality", while in other cases, an inequation is reserved only for statements whose inequality relation is "not equal to" (≠). A shorthand notation is used for the conjunction of several inequations involving common expressions, by chaining them together. For example, the chain is shorthand for which also implies that and . In rare cases, chains without such implications about distant terms are used. For example is shorthand for , which does not imply Similarly, is shorthand for , which does not imply any order of and . Similar to equation solving, inequation solving means finding what values (numbers, functions, sets, etc.) fulfill a condition stated in the form of an inequation or a conjunction of several inequations. These expressions contain one or more unknowns, which are free variables for which values are sought that cause the condition to be fulfilled. To be precise, what is sought are often not necessarily actual values, but, more in general, expressions. A solution of the inequation is an assignment of expressions to the unknowns that satisfies the inequation(s); in other words, expressions such that, when they are substituted for the unknowns, make the inequations true propositions. Often, an additional objective expression (i.e., an optimization equation) is given, that is to be minimized or maximized by an optimal solution. For example, is a conjunction of inequations, partly written as chains (where can be read as "and"); the set of its solutions is shown in blue in the picture (the red, green, and orange line corresponding to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd conjunct, respectively). For a larger example. see Linear programming#Example.