Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Greatest Integer Function (Floor Function)
The greatest integer function, denoted as ⌊x⌋, returns the largest integer less than or equal to x. For example, ⌊3.7⌋ equals 3, while ⌊-2.3⌋ equals -3. This function effectively 'rounds down' any real number to the nearest integer.
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Intro to Rational Functions
Least Integer Function (Ceiling Function)
The least integer function, denoted as ⌈x⌉, returns the smallest integer greater than or equal to x. For instance, ⌈3.7⌉ equals 4, and ⌈-2.3⌉ equals -2. This function 'rounds up' any real number to the nearest integer.
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Comparison of Floor and Ceiling Functions
The question asks whether ⌊x⌋ equals ⌈x⌉ for all real x. In general, these two functions yield different results unless x is already an integer. For non-integer values, ⌊x⌋ will be less than ⌈x⌉, highlighting that they are not equal for all real numbers.
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