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The less-than sign is a mathematical symbol that denotes an inequality between two values. The widely adopted form of two equal-length strokes connecting in an acute angle at the left, <, has been found in documents dated as far back as the 1560s.
Later in 1734, ≦ and ≧, known as "less than (greater-than) over equal to" or "less than (greater than) or equal to with double horizontal bars", first appeared in Pierre Bouguer's work . [3] After that, mathematicians simplified Bouguer's symbol to "less than (greater than) or equal to with one horizontal bar" (≤), or "less than (greater ...
unstrict inequality signs (less-than or equals to sign and greater-than or equals to sign) 1670 (with the horizontal bar over the inequality sign, rather than below it) John Wallis: 1734 (with double horizontal bar below the inequality sign) Pierre Bouguer
1. Means "less than or equal to". That is, whatever A and B are, A ≤ B is equivalent to A < B or A = B. 2. Between two groups, may mean that the first one is a subgroup of the second one. ≥ 1. Means "greater than or equal to". That is, whatever A and B are, A ≥ B is equivalent to A > B or A = B. 2.
As an example, "is less than" is a relation on the set of natural numbers; it holds, for instance, between the values 1 and 3 (denoted as 1 < 3), and likewise between 3 and 4 (denoted as 3 < 4), but not between the values 3 and 1 nor between 4 and 4, that is, 3 < 1 and 4 < 4 both evaluate to false.
< less than > greater than; ≤ less than or equal to; ≥ greater than or equal to; ≠ not equal to; A linear inequality looks exactly like a linear equation, with the inequality sign replacing the equality sign.
The asterisk on <* is used to distinguish this inequality from the familiar version of <. The <* is required for sets of numbers: If x is any real number, and { } is the null set, a<*{ } is taken to be a true statement.
This term is commonly used in the context of inequalities — the phrase "strictly less than" means "less than and not equal to" (likewise "strictly greater than" means "greater than and not equal to").