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A student solved an inequality and ended with 9 > 9. The student claimed the inequality had infinite solutions. Do you agree or disagree? Explain.

User Dsomnus
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Final answer:

The inequality 9 > 9 is incorrect and has no solutions, as it violates fundamental principles of mathematics. Inequalities like this, which result in a false statement, indicate the non-existence of solutions.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a student solved an inequality and ended with 9 > 9, it means that the statement is claiming that 9 is greater than itself, which is not possible as per the fundamental rules of mathematics. The rules of mathematics, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and inequality comparisons, are based on logical and universal truths. If we say 9 is greater than 9, this goes against these fundamental principles of logic and clearly cannot be true in any circumstance. Therefore, the inequality does not have infinite solutions; in fact, it has no solution, since it depicts a false statement.

In inequalities, if the variables are eliminated through the solving process and we are left with a false statement like 9 > 9, it signals that the entire inequality has no solution. On the other hand, if the variables had been eliminated and we were left with a true statement, such as 9 > 5, the inequality would indeed have infinite solutions.

User Sunney
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