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Section 24.3 Deliberate Practice: Inequalities and the Number Line

Algebra is a skill, which means it requires practice to become proficient. But it will take more than rote repetition to get there. Deliberate practice is the thoughtful repetition of a task. For each of these sections, you will be given a list of specific skills or ideas to focus on as you practice thinking through the problems.

Focus on these skills:

  • Try to make the spacing as even as possible for the equal increments.

  • Pick increments that make sense for the problem. Note that the numbers you plot may not always fall precisely on the marked increments.

  • For each comparison, think through their relative locations ("to the left of `' or "to the right of").

  • Present your work legibly.

Worksheet Worksheet

Instructions: Draw a number line with equal increments and give the approximate locations of the given numbers, then write all mathematical sentences comparing them to each other.

1.

4, 9, 6

2.

-7, 0, 5

3.

20, -10, -60

4.

-300, 700, 300

5.

31, 55, 22

6.

-27, 14, -49

7.

39, -25, 0

8.

-43, -11, -68

9.

183, 832, 438

10.

-273, 185, -487