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Subtraction Property of Inequality

The Subtraction Property of Inequality states that subtracting the same quantity from both sides of an inequality preserves the direction of the inequality. For any numbers aa, bb, and cc:

If a<ba < b, then ac<bca - c < b - c

If a>ba > b, then ac>bca - c > b - c

The same rule applies to \leq and \geq. This property is used to solve inequalities in which a number has been added to the variable. Subtracting that number from both sides isolates the variable while keeping the inequality symbol facing the same way. For example, to solve x+710x + 7 \geq 10, subtracting 77 from both sides yields x3x \geq 3, and the \geq symbol is unchanged.

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Updated 2026-05-03

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