Recall that
$3^{2} = 9$ and ${(- 3)}^{2} = 9$

Consider the first option
$2 \frac{7}{8}$ is less than 3, and not negative, so when squared, will not be larger than 9

Consider the second option
2.8 is less than 3, and not negative, so when squared, will not be larger than 9

Consider the third option
3 squared is exactly 9, but the inequality is a >, not a ≥, so this is incorrect

Consider the fourth option
$- \frac{7}{2}$ is equivalent to $- 3.5$ , and ${(- 3.5)}^{2}$ will be larger than 9

So option four is correct

The correct option is option four, $- \frac{7}{2}$ [1]

Solving Inequalities (Edexcel GCSE Maths: Foundation)

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