Section 3.7: Inequalities Essential Ideas Comparison Property For any two numbers x and y, exactly one of the following is true: x = y; x is equal to (the same as) y x > y; x is greater than (bigger than) y x < y; x is less than (smaller than) y To solve an inequality means to find all replacements for the variable (or variables) that make the inequality true. Properties of Inequality The procedure for solving inequalities is the same as the procedure for solving equations except, if you multiply or divide by a negative number, you reverse the order of the inequality.