Final answer:
When solving an absolute value equation, we write two inequalities to account for both the positive and negative solutions.
Step-by-step explanation:
When solving an absolute value equation, we write two inequalities to account for both the positive and negative solutions. This is because the absolute value of a number is the distance from that number to zero on a number line, and that distance can be positive or negative.
For example, let's say we have the equation |x| = 3. We can write two separate inequalities: x = 3 and x = -3. By solving both inequalities, we find that x can be either 3 or -3, which are the two solutions to the absolute value equation.