In what way is an inequality different from an equation?

Answer 1

In that it uses an inequality sign (less then, greater than, less-than-or-equal, greater-than-or-equal) instead of an equality sign. When solving, special care must be taken - when multiplying or dividing both sides of an inequality by a negative number, the direction of the inequality sign changes.

Answer 2

An equation is a statement, such as 2+2=4, and an inequality is an equation that does not make sense, or one that isn't true, such as 2+2=5.

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The person who answered above me is half right, half wrong. An inequality is actually NOT an equation that doesn't make sense or isn't true. An inequality has a variable in it. It's similar to an equation yet isn't exactly an equation. It compares numbers to each other. For example, a + 4 > 19. a + 4 > 19 is an inequality. They are different because an inequality doesn't have an equal sign so it can't be solved. An equation adds, subtracts, multiplies, or divides and it has an equal sign. Therefore, it can be solved. An example of an equation IS 2 + 2 = 4,14-12=2, 100/10=10, or 4x4=16.