Section 7.

5 • Systems of Inequalities 137

Name______________________________________________
Section 7.5 Systems of Inequalities

Objective: In this lesson you learned how to sketch the graphs of

inequalities in two variables and to solve systems of
inequalities and how to use systems of inequalities to model
and solve real-life problems.

Important Vocabulary Define each term or concept.

Solution of an inequality An ordered pair (a, b) is a solution of an inequality in x and

y if the inequality is true when a and b are substituted for x and y respectively.
Graph of an inequality The collection of all solutions of the inequality represented
on the Cartesian plane.
Linear inequalities An inequality written in the form ax + by < c.

Solution of a system of inequalities A point (x, y) that satisfies each inequality in the
system.
Consumer surplus The area of the region that lies below the demand curve, above
the horizontal line passing through the equilibrium point, and to the right of the p-axis.
Producer surplus The area of the region that lies above the supply curve, below the
horizontal line passing through the equilibrium point, and to the right of the p-axis.

I. The Graph of an Inequality (Pages 541−542) What you should learn

How to sketch the graphs
To sketch the graph of an inequality in two variables, . . . of inequalities in two
replace the inequality sign by an equal sign, and sketch the graph variables
of the resulting equation. Use a dashed line for < or > and a solid
line for ≤ or ≥. Then test one point in each of the regions formed
by the graph of equation. If the point satisfies the inequality,
shade the entire region to denote that every point in the region
satisfies the inequality.

The solution points for the inequality y < 3x + 5 lie below

the line y = 3x + 5.

Example 1: Sketch the graph of the linear inequality y ≥ 2 . y

Larson/Hostetler Precalculus/Precalculus with Limits Notetaking Guide IAE

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
138 Chapter 7 • Systems of Equations and Inequalities

II. Systems of Inequalities (Pages 543−545)

What you should learn
To sketch the graph of a system of inequalities in two How to solve systems of
inequalities
variables, . . . first sketch the graph of each individual
inequality (on the same coordinate system) and then find the
region that is common to every graph in the system.

To find the vertices of the solution region for a system of three

linear inequalities, . . . solve the three systems of
corresponding equations obtained by taking pairs of equations
representing the boundaries of the individual regions.

III. Applications of Systems of Inequalities (Pages 546−547) What you should learn
How to use systems of
The consumer surplus is a measure of the amount that consumers inequalities in two
would have been willing to pay above what they variables to model and
solve real-life problems
actually paid . Producer surplus is a measure of the
amount that producers would have been willing to receive
below what they actually received .
y y y

x x x

y y y

x x x

Homework Assignment
Page(s):
Exercises:
Larson/Hostetler Precalculus/Precalculus with Limits Notetaking Guide IAE
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.