Example 1: Solve

Create an equation. Change < to =, and solve.

Notice that if x = -5, the denominator is 0.

Multiply both sides by (x + 5)

to eliminate the fraction.
You could also "cross-multiply".
In a proportion the product of the means
equals the product of the extremes.
Critical values are
and

On the number line, plot -5 The inequality is strictly "less

and -8. Since -5 cannot be than", so the -8 is also
used, it is an open circle. an open circle.

Test a point in each of the three intervals formed:

Stated as an inequality, Stated in interval notation,

the solution is: the solution is:
Example 2: Solve

Separate the numerator,

form an equation,
and solve this quadratic equation.

Factor, and find the solutions

or critical values for the numerator.
Also keep in mind that the
denominator has
as a critical value as well.

Since x = 2 creates an undefined

expression, it is drawn as an
open circle on the number line

Place the critical values on a number line. Since the inequality is greater than or
equal to, the are drawn on the number line as a solid circle, which means to
include them as part of the answer. Test the intervals that are formed.
 The solution is:

In interval notation,
the solution is:
Example 3:

I begin solving this rational inequality by writing it in general form. The general form implies that the
rational expression is located on the left side while the zero stays on the right. These are the four types
of the general form.

It's good to know that this problem is already in the general form. My next step is to find the zeros of
both numerator and denominator.

I can find the zeros of the numerator by factoring it out completely and then separately set each factor
equal to zero and solve for x. Likewise, finding the zeros of the denominator is done the same way.

Zeros of numerator Zeros of denominator

Now, I will use the zeros to separate or partition the number line into intervals. The zeros of the
numerator and denominator are also known as the critical numbers. In this case, the two critical
numbers divides the number line into three distinct intervals.

The next step is to pick or select a number in every interval and evaluate it back into the original rational
inequality; to determine if it is a true or false statement. A true statement means that an interval is
part of the solution, otherwise, it is not.
As you can see, the numbers I picked for each interval are highlighted in yellow.

Notice that the open interval between −1 and 3, written as , yields a true statement which
implies that it is part of the solution.

So, where else do we look for possible solutions to finish this off?

Check the zeros or critical numbers of the numerators only into the original equation. If it gives a true
statement then include that critical number as part of the overall solution.

The zeros of the numerator is 3. Now I will verify it.

The use of a square bracket indicates that it is part of the solution, while an open bracket (parenthesis)
denotes that it's not. I will write my final answer as .

Example 4:

First off, the given rational inequality is in general form because the rational expression is on the left
while the zero is on the right side. That's good!
Next, I will factor out the numerator and the denominator. After doing so, you should have something
like this...

I can now find the zeros of the numerator and denominator.

Zeros of numerator Zeros of denominator

These zeros or critical numbers divide the number line into distinct intervals or partitions.

Select a test number for each interval and substitute back to the original rational inequality.

Use the factored form of the original rational inequality to evaluate test numbers for ease
of calculation.

The numbers in yellow are the ones I chose to test the validity of each interval.

The intervals yielding true statements are .

To find the rest of the solution, check the validity of the zeros of the numerator only into the original
rational inequality.

If you have done it correctly, you should agree that −4 and 2 are not valid answers because they don't
give true statements after checking.

The final answer for this problem in interval notation is .

Example 5:

I would factor out the numerator and denominator first to find their zeros. In factored form, I got

Next, determine the zeros of the rational inequality by setting each factor equal to zero then solving for
x.

Zeros of numerator Zeros of denominator

−1 and 4 4
Use the zeros as critical numbers to divide the number line into distinct intervals. I start testing the
validity of each interval by selecting test value and evaluating them into the original rational inequality.
The ones in yellow are the numbers I picked.

Notice that the only interval giving true statement is ( −1, 4 ).

More so, the zeros of the numerator don't check with the original rational inequality so I must disregard
them.

The final answer is just .

Example 6:

This rational inequality is not in general form. The right hand side must be zero. The first step is to get
rid of the constant on that side by subtracting both sides by 1. After that, simplify into a single rational
expression. You should have a similar preliminary step just like this...

Next, find the zeros of the numerator and denominator.

Zeros of numerator Zeros of denominator

−7 −3

Use the zeros as critical numbers to partition the number line into sections or intervals.

Then pick test numbers for each interval and evaluate into the general form to determine their truth
values. The ones in yellow are the selected values. You may choose other numbers as long as they are in
the interval being tested.
The intervals giving true statements are .

Meanwhile, after checking the zero of the numerator at x = −7 , it also results to a true statement. Use
the square bracket for that to indicate it's being included as a solution.

The final answer in interval notation should be .

Example 7:

I need to make the right side of the rational inequality zero. To do that, I will simultaneously add x and
subtract 5 on both sides. However, my ultimate goal is to express it in a single rational expression. This is
where your skills on how to add and subtract rational expressions will be useful. You should have similar
steps below...
Next, find the zeros of the numerator and denominator.

Zeros of numerator Zeros of denominator

− 3 and 5 0
Make use of the zeros to divide the number line into distinct intervals. Choose test numbers for each
interval to check if it results to true statements. The selected test values for x are in yellow.
The "true" intervals are . More so, the zeros of the numerator also
check with the general form of the given rational inequality. Consequently, I have to include − 3 and 5 as
part of the solution with the use of square brackets.

The final answer now becomes .

Example 8:

Write the inequality in the correct form. One side must be zero and the other side can have only one

fraction, so simplify the fractions if there is more than one fraction.

Find the key or critical values. To find the key/critical values, set the numerator and denominator of the

fraction equal to zero and solve.

Perform the sign analysis. To do the sign analysis, pick one number from each of the sections created in
Step 3 and plug that number into the polynomial to determine the sign of the resulting answer.

Use interval notation to write the final answer.

Example 9:

Perform the sign analysis. To do the sign analysis, pick one number from
each of the sections created in Step 3 and plug that number into the polynomial to determine the sign of
the resulting answer.
In this case, you can choose x = –4 which results in –0.025, x = 0 which results in +0.75, x = 2 which

results in –2.5, and x = 4 which results in +2.

Example 10:

Use the sign analysis chart to determine which sections satisfy the inequality. In this case, we have
greater than or equal to zero, so we want all of the positive sections.

Notice that x ≠ 1 because it would make the original problem undefined, so you must use an open circle
at x = 1 instead of a closed circle to draw the graph.