Linear Equations in Two Variables

In this chapter, we’ll use the geometry of lines to help us solve equations.

Linear equations in two variables

If a, b, and r are real numbers (and if a and b are not both equal to 0) then
ax + by = r is called a linear equation in two variables. (The “two variables”
are the x and the y.)
The numbers a and b are called the coefficients of the equation ax + by = r.
The number r is called the constant of the equation ax + by = r.

Examples. 10x 3y = 5 and 2x 4y = 7 are linear equations in two

variables.

Solutions of equations
A solution of a linear equation in two variables ax+by = r is a specific point
in R2 such that when when the x-coordinate of the point is multiplied by a,
and the y-coordinate of the point is multiplied by b, and those two numbers
are added together, the answer equals r. (There are always infinitely many
solutions to a linear equation in two variables.)

Example. Let’s look at the equation 2x 3y = 7.

Notice that x = 5 and y = 1 is a point in R2 that is a solution of this
equation because we can let x = 5 and y = 1 in the equation 2x 3y =7
and then we’d have 2(5) 3(1) = 10 3 = 7.
The point x = 8 and y = 3 is also a solution of the equation 2x 3y =7
since 2(8) 3(3) = 16 9 = 7.
The point x = 4 and y = 6 is not a solution of the equation 2x 3y =7
because 2(4) 3(6) = 8 18 = 10, and 10 6= 7.
To get a geometric interpretation for what the set of solutions of 2x 3y = 7
looks like, we can add 3y, subtract 7, and divide by 3 to rewrite 2x 3y = 7
as 23 x 73 = y. This is the equation of a line that has slope 23 and a y-intercept
of 73 . In particular, the set of solutions to 2x 3y = 7 is a straight line.
(This is why it’s called a linear equation.)
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Systems of linear equations
Rather than asking for the set of solutions of a single linear equation in two
variables, we could take two di↵erent linear equations in two variables and
ask for all those points that are solutions to both of the linear equations.
For example, the point x = 4 and y = 1 is a solution of both of the equations
x + y = 5 and x y = 3.
If you have more than one linear equation, it’s called a system of linear
equations, so that
x+y = 5
x y=3
is an example of a system of two linear equations in two variables. There are
two equations, and each equation has the same two variables: x and y.
A solution of a system of equations is a point that is a solution of each of
the equations in the system.

Example. The point x = 3 and y = 2 is a solution of the system of two

linear equations in two variables
8x + 7y = 38
3x 5y = 1
because x = 3 and y = 2 is a solution of 3x 5y = 1 and it is a solution of
8x + 7y = 38.

Unique solutions
Geometrically, finding a solution of a system of two linear equations in two
variables is the same problem as finding a point in R2 that lies on each of the
straight lines corresponding to the two linear equations.
Almost all of the time, two di↵erent lines will intersect in a single point,
so in these cases, there will only be one point that is a solution to both
equations. Such a point is called the unique solution of the system of linear
equations.

Example. Let’s take a second look at the system of equations

8x + 7y = 38
3x 5y = 1
246
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has slope 77. The second equation in this
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slope of
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= 11.
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two
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slopes are 22 and 11
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lines would
would have
have
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did have the same slope, then there there
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188
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** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
* * * * * * * * * * * * *

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189
5
 Exercises
1.) What are the coefficients of the equation 2x 5y = 23 ?

2.) What is the constant of the equation 2x 5y = 23 ?

3.) Is x = 4 and y = 3 a solution of the equation 2x 5y = 23 ?

4.) What are the coefficients of the equation 7x + 6y = 15 ?

5.) What is the constant of the equation 7x + 6y = 15 ?

6.) Is x = 3 and y = 10 a solution of the equation 7x + 6y = 15 ?

7.) Is x = 1 and y = 0 a solution of the system

x + y=1
2x + 3y = 3

8.) Is x = 1 and y = 3 a solution of the system

7x + 2y = 1
5x 3y= 14

9.) What’s the slope of the line 30x 6y = 3 ?

10.) What’s the slope of the line 10x + 5y = 4 ?

11.) Is there a unique solution to the system

30x 6y = 3
10x + 5y = 4

12.) What’s the slope of the line 6x + 2y = 4 ?

13.) What’s the slope of the line 15x + 5y = 7?

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14.) Is there a unique solution to the system
6x + 2y = 4
15x + 5y = 7

For #15-17, find the roots of the given quadratic polynomials.

15.) 9x2 12x + 4

16.) 2x2 3x + 1

17.) 4x2 + 2x 3

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