In mathematics, a statement of an order relationship
greater than, greater than or equal to, less than, or less than or equal to
between two numbers or algebraic expressions.
Inequalities can be posed either as questions, much like equation s, and solved by similar techniques, or as statements of fact in the form of theorem s. For example, the triangle inequality states that the sum of the lengths of any two sides of a triangle is greater than or equal to the length of the remaining side. Mathematical analysis relies on many such inequalities (e.g., the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality ) in the proofs of its most important theorems.