In mathematics, LHS is informal shorthand for the left-hand side of an equation. Similarly, RHS is the right-hand side. The two sides have the same value, expressed differently, since equality is symmetric.
More generally, these terms may apply to an inequation or inequality; the right-hand side is everything on the right side of a test operator in an expression, with LHS defined similarly.
In mathematics, an expression is an arrangement of symbols following the context-dependent, syntactic conventions of mathematical notation. Symbols can denote numbers, variables, operations, and functions. Other symbols include punctuation marks and brackets, used for grouping where there is not a well-defined order of operations.
Expressions are commonly distinguished from formulas: expressions usually denote mathematical objects, whereas formulas are statements about mathematical objects. This is analogous to natural language, where a noun phrase refers to an object, and a whole sentence refers to a fact. For example, and are both expressions, while the inequality is a formula. However, formulas are often considered as expressions that can be evaluated to the Boolean values true or false.
In mathematics, an inequation is a statement that either an inequality (relations "greater than" and "less than", < and >) or a relation "not equal to" (≠) holds between two values. It is usually written in the form of a pair of expressions denoting the values in question, with a relational sign between the two sides, indicating the specific inequality relation. Some examples of inequations are:
In some cases, the term "inequation" has a more restricted definition, reserved only for statements whose inequality relation is "not equal to" (or "distinct").
