1. The original problem is to change the inequality from $>$ to $<$. 2. If the original inequality is $a > b$, changing it to $a < b$ means we are reversing the direction of the inequality. 3. For example, if the original inequality is $x > 5$, changing it to $x < 5$ means the solution set changes from all $x$ values greater than 5 to all $x$ values less than 5. 4. Note that simply changing the inequality sign does not preserve the original solution set; it defines a different condition. 5. Therefore, to change $>$ to $<$, replace the symbol $>$ with $<$ in the inequality expression.