integer sloutions

julumu

New member
Joined
Sep 19, 2005
Messages
6
Please i dont get it. Graph all integer solutions for [x]<4 on a number line? please help. thanks
 
What do the brackets indicate? (This notation is not, unfortunately, terribly well established yet, so it might mean one of a few different things.)

Thank you.

Eliz.
 
integer solution

The brackets were not really part of the problem, just that I don't have a straight vertical line on my computer? So I used brackets. Sorry if it made it confusing.....the problem was.....

Graph all integer solutions for IxI < 4 on a number line.

I don't know why the text book has the x in between two lines?

If you could help me figure this out I would appreciate it. Thanks!
 
Re: integer solution

julumu said:
I don't know why the text book has the x in between two lines?
Um... sounds you don't know what absolute values are, which makes it extremely difficult to try to help you answer your question.

You can type the vertical bars by using the "pipe" key, probably somewhere above your "Enter" key. (The drawing on the keyboard probably looks like a broken line, but it'll type correctly.) The expression "|x|" means "the absolute value of x". You can learn what this is here:

. . . . .FreeMathHelp lesson: Absolute Value

Eliz.
 
integer solutions

From your assistance this is what I've come to learn.....

If the absolute value of 4 is the distant between zero and the number.....the answer to........

Graph all integer solutions for |x| < 4 on a number line.

I believe the answers would be ... 0,1, 2, 3 on the number line?

Is that correct? If so, I am extremely grateful for all yor help.

This is awesome to have a site to get such awesome help.

Thanks again!!
 
So |-3| isn't between zero and four?

Eliz.
 
integer solution

Okay now your making me think!! Is it? lol. Is -3 included?

And if it is, wouldn't -1,-2,-3 also be included?
I thought the absolute value of 4 was the distance between 0 and 4.

So on a number line, -3 is not between 0 and 4.

Right?
 
I thought the absolute value of 4 was the distance between 0 and 4.
That's correct... but I actually think you mean it a different way.

The absolute value of a number x is the distance from x to 0. The absolute value of 4 would be 4. That doesn't mean that it is somehow a range of numbers from 0 to 4, but simply that 4 is 4 units from 0.

I know that was hard to explain, but here's why I said it:

When you gave the numbers 0,1,2,3 I suspect you were picturing a slice of the number line from 0 to 4 and listing all the integers. That's not quite what an absolute value is. In this case we want any integer with an absolute value less than 4, correct? That means that our numbers have to be less than four units away from 0. That's all.

Maybe now you can see why -3 would be included? How far is it from the number 0 on a number line?
 
Re: integer solutions

at first said:
If the absolute value of 4 is the distant between zero and the number...
then later said:
I thought the absolute value of 4 was the distance between 0 and 4.
No. You had it right the first time: "|x| < 4" means the distance between the number x and zero is less than four units.

Eliz.
 
integer solutions

Okay. When I was told to find out what absolute value meant the description was NOT as clear as maybe it should have been.

Description as follows in Pre-Algebra Text, is : The number of units a number is from zero on the number line.

I have since discovered that in mathematics, we say that they have the same absolute value, ex. 4 and -4 are on opposite sides of the starting point, zero.

So I suppose the answer to my original question is-
-4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3 ?
Correct?
Again thank you so very much for your time and consideration. :D [/b]
 
Since |-4| = 4 is not less than four, this should not be included in the solution.

Eliz.
 
integer ANSWER!!

I would just like to thank you for the personal attention I recieved on this problem. You were very helpful , again thank you so very much . Have a great day!!
 
Top