Final answer:
The symbol '=' is not a comparison operator but represents equality. In contrasts, '≠', '<', and '>=' are all comparison operators used in mathematics to describe relationships between values, often used when stating the alternative hypothesis in statistical tests.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer to the student's question is A) =. This symbol represents equality, not a comparison. In mathematics, comparison operators are used to compare the values of two entities. The symbols for comparison operators include B) ≠ (not equal to), C) < (less than), and D) >= (greater than or equal to). When writing an alternative hypothesis, you often use comparison operators such as not equals (≠), greater than (>), and less than (<).
As an example of using an inequality symbol in a mathematical context, consider the following: If you have two metric measurements, say 5 meters and 8 meters, and you want to show the relationship between them, you would write it as 5 m < 8 m, which reads as '5 meters is less than 8 meters.'