Lecture 2

Unit two- Linear equations and straight

lines
1) What is a line ?
2) Definition of linear equations
3) What is slope
4) How to find a slope
5) Slope of vertical lines
6) Slope of horizontal lines
7) Finding the slope of a straight line
8) Sign of a slope
9) Slope of parallel lines
10) Slope of perpendicular lines

4) Finding the equation of a straight line

5) Simultaneous equations
1) What is a line
 y-axis
 A line is the set of points forming a straight path on a plane
 The slant (slope) between any two points on a line is always equal
 A line on the Cartesian plane can be described by a linear equation

x-axis
1) What is a line ?
2) Definition of linear equations
Definition of Linear equation
 Any equation that can be put into the form
Ax + By  C = 0, where A, B, and C are Integers and
A and B are not both 0, is called a linear equation in
two variables.
 The graph will be a straight line.
 The form Ax + By  C = 0 is called standard form
(Integer coefficients all on one side = 0)
 The equation of a line describes all of the points on the line
 The equation is the rule for any ordered pair on the line

Examples:
1. 3x + 2y – 8 = 0 2. x – 7y + 2 = 0
(4, -2) is on the line (4, -2) is not on the line
(5, 1) is not on the line (5, 1) is on the line
Test the point by plugging the x and y into the equation
1) What is a line ?
2) Definition of linear equations
3) What is slope
•
3) What is a slope
Slope

Slope describes the

direction of a line.
1) What is a line ?
2) Definition of linear equations
3) What is slope
• How to find a slope
How to find a slope
Find the slope between (-3, 6) and (5, 2)

y-axis

(-3, 6)

(5, 2)
x-axis

Rise -4 -1
= =
Run 8 2
Calculate the slope between (-3, 6) and (5, 2)
x1 y1 x2 y2
y2  y1
m We use the letter mm
x2  x1 to represent slope

(2)  (6) - 4 - 1
m  
(5)  (-3) 8 2
 y2  y1 Find the Slopes
m
x2  x1
Yellow
29 -7 (3, 9)
m1  
11  3 8
Blue
2  (-2) 2
m2   (11, 2)
11  5 3
Red
- 2  9 - 11
m3   (5, -2)
53 2
1) What is a line ?
2) Definition of linear equations
3) What is slope
• How to find a slope
• Slope of vertical lines
Slope of vertical lines
Find the slope between (5, 4) and (5, 2).
x1 y1 x2 y2

y2  y1
m
x2  x1
(2)  (4) - 2
m 
(5)  (5) 0 STOP
This slope is undefined.
Find the slope between (5, 4) and (5, 2).

Rise -2
= = Undefined
Run 0
1) What is a line ?
2) Definition of linear equations
3) What is slope
• How to find a slope
• Slope of vertical lines
• Slope of horizontal lines
Slope of horizontal lines
 Find the slope between (5, 4) and (-3, 4).
x1 y1
x2 y2
y2  y1
m

0
x2  x1
(4)  (4) 0
m 
(-3)  (5) -8

This slope is zero.

Find the slope between (5, 4) and (-3, 4).
y

Rise 0
= = Zero
Run -8
From these results we
can see...
 The slope of a vertical
line is undefined.
 The slope of a
horizontal line is 0.
1) What is a line ?
2) Definition of linear equations
3) What is slope
4) How to find a slope
5) Slope of vertical lines
6) Slope of horizontal lines
7) Finding the slope of a straight line
• Finding the slope of a straight line
 Find the slope of the line 4x - y = 8

First, find two points on the line

4(0)  y  8 Let y = 0 to 4 x  (0)  8

Let x = 0 to
find the find the
y-intercept. - y  8 x-intercept. 4x  8
(0, -8) y  -8 (2, 0) x2
x1 y1 x2 y2

(0)  (-8) 8
m  4
(2)  (0) 2
Find the slope of the line
4x  y = 8 Here is an easier way

Solve 4x  y  8
for y. - y  -4 x  8
y  4x  8
When the equation is solved for y the
coefficient of the x is the slope.
We call this the slope-intercept form
y = mx + b
m is the slope and b is the y-intercept
Graph the line that goes through (1, -3) with -3
(1,-3) m
4
y

x
1) What is a line ?
2) Definition of linear equations
3) What is slope
• How to find a slope
• Slope of vertical lines
• Slope of horizontal lines
• Finding the slope of a straight line
• Sign of a slope
Sign of a slope
 Sign of the Slope

Which have a
negative slope? Which have a
positive slope?
Undefined Red
Light Blue Green
blue

Zero
Slope
Slope of Parallel Lines

 Two lines with the same

slope are parallel.
 Two parallel lines have the
same slope.
1) What is a line ?
2) Definition of linear equations
3) What is slope
4) How to find a slope
5) Slope of vertical lines
6) Slope of horizontal lines
7) Finding the slope of a straight line
8) Sign of a slope
9) Slope of parallel lines
• Slope of parallel lines
Are the two lines parallel?
L1: through (-2, 1) and (4, 5) and
L2: through (3, 0) and (0, -2)

(5)  (1) 4 2
m1   
(4)  (-2) 6 3

(0)  (-2) 2 m1  m2
m2  
(3)  (0) 3  L1 L2
This symbol means Parallel
1) What is a line ?
2) Definition of linear equations
3) What is slope
4) How to find a slope
5) Slope of vertical lines
6) Slope of horizontal lines
7) Finding the slope of a straight line
8) Sign of a slope
9) Slope of parallel lines
10) Slope of perpendicular lines
• Slope of perpendicular lines
Perpendicular Slopes -3
m1  4
4 m2 
3
y

x
What can we say
about the intersection
of the two white lines?
Slopes of Perpendicular Lines

 If neither line is vertical then the slopes of perpendicular lines are

negative reciprocals.
 Lines with slopes that are negative reciprocals are perpendicular.
 If the product of the slopes of two lines is -1 then the lines are
perpendicular.
 Horizontal lines are perpendicular to vertical lines.
Write parallel, perpendicular or neither for the pair of
lines that passes through (5, -9) and (3, 7) and the line
through (0, 2) and (8, 3).
(7)  (-9) 16
m1    -8
(3)  (5) -2
(3)  (2) 1  -8   1   -8
m2        -1
(8)  (0) 8 1 8 8

m1  m2  -1
This symbol means Perpendicular
 L1  L2
1) What is a line ?
2) Definition of linear equations
3) What is slope
4) How to find a slope
5) Slope of vertical lines
6) Slope of horizontal lines
7) Finding the slope of a straight line
8) Sign of a slope
9) Slope of parallel lines
10) Slope of perpendicular lines

4) Finding the equation of a straight line

4) Finding equation of a straight line
 Slope-intercept Form

y = mx + b
m is the slope and b is the y-intercept

Objective
Write the equation of a line, given its slope
and a point on the line.
 Write the equation of the line with
slope m = 5 and y-int -3

Take the slope intercept form y = mx + b

Replace in the m and the b y = mx
5x ++-3
b
Simplify y = 5x – 3

That’s all there is to it… for this easy question

 Find the equation of the line
through (-2, 7) with slope m = 3
x y m
Take the slope intercept form y = mx + b
Replace in the y, m and x 7y = 3(-2)
mx++b+b b
3x
Solve for b 7 = -6 + b
7+6=b
13 = b
Replace m and b back into
slope intercept form y = 3x + 13
Write an equation of the line
through (-1, 2) and (5, 7).
y2  y1 72 5
First calculate the slope. m  
x2  x1 5  (-1) 6

Now plug into y, m and x into

y  mx  b
slope-intercept form.
(use either x, y point) 2  -65  b
2  56  b Only replace
Solve for b the m and b
17 b
6
Replace back into slope-intercept form y  56 x  17
6
 Horizontal and Vertical Lines

 If a is a constant, the vertical line

though (a, b) has equation x = a.

 If b is a constant, the horizontal

line though ( a, b,) has equation (a, b)
y = b.
 Write the equation of the line
through (8, -2); m = 0

Slope = 0 means the line is horizontal

y  -2
That’s all there is!
Find the slope and y-intercept of
2x – 5y = 1 2x  5 y 1
2x 1  5 y
5 5 5
Solve for y and 2 1
then we will be x  y
able to read it from 5 5
the answer. 2 1
y x
5 5
2 -1
Slope: m y-int:
5 5
Write an equation for the line through (5, 7)
parallel to 2x – 5y = 15.

2 x  5 y  15
2 x  15  5 y
2 x 15 5 y
 
5 5 5
2 2
x 3  y m 
5 5
Write an equation for the line
through (5, 7) parallel to 2x – 5y = 15.
We know the slope and we
know a point. 2 (5) b
y7  mx  b
5
2 7=2+b
m
5 7–2=b
(5, 7) 5=b

y  52 x  5
Write an equation for the line through (5, 7)
parallel to 2x – 5y = 15.

2
y  x5
5

2 x  5 y  15
2
y  x 3
5
The slope of the perpendicular.
 The slope of the perpendicular line is the negative reciprocal of m
 Flip it over and change the sign.

Examples of slopes of perpendicular lines:

2 1 -7
-2 2.4 2
3 5
2 1 = -5 -2  1 12 -7  2
3 5 1 2 5 2 7
Note: The product of perpendicular slopes is -1
What about the special cases?
 What is the slope of the
line perpendicular to a
horizontal line?
The slope of a line
 to a horizontal
line is undefined.

0
Well, the slope of a
horizontal line is 0… 0 1
So what’s the negative 0
reciprocal of 0?
1
Anything over
zero is undefined
Write an equation in for the line through (-8, 3)
perpendicular to 2x – 3y = 10.

Isolate y to find the slope: 2x – 3y

2x = 10 + 3y
2x – 10 = 3y slope  2
3 3 3 3
We know the perpendicular -3 (-8b
slope and we know a point. 3y  mx
2 )  b
3 = 12 + b
-3
m2  3 – 12 = b
2
-9 = b
(-8, 3) answer : y  -3 x  9
2
 Write an equation in standard form for the
line through (-8, 3) perpendicular to
2x - 3y = 10.

2 10
y  x
3 3
-3
y  x9
2
 Summary

 Slope-intercept form

y  mx  b
 y is isolated
 Slope is m.
 y-intercept is (0, b)
Summary

 Vertical line
 Slope is undefined
 x-intercept is (a, 0)
xa
 no y-intercept

 Horizontal line
 Slope is 0.
yb
 y-intercept is (0, b)
 no x-intercept
1) What is a line ?
2) Definition of linear equations
3) What is slope
4) How to find a slope
5) Slope of vertical lines
6) Slope of horizontal lines
7) Finding the slope of a straight line
8) Sign of a slope
9) Slope of parallel lines
10) Slope of perpendicular lines

4) Finding the equation of a straight line

5) Simultaneous equations
Simultaneous
Equations
What are they?

 Simply 2 equations
 With 2 unknowns
 Usually x and y
 To SOLVE the equations means we find values of x and y that
 Satisfy BOTH equations [work in]
 At same time [simultaneously]
 Elimination Method
We have the same
A 2x – y = 1 number of y’s in each

B
+
3x + y = 9 If we ADD the equations, the y’s disappear
5x = 10 Divide both sides by 5

x =2
2x2–y=1 Substitute x = 2 in equation A

4–y=1 Answer
y=3 x = 2, y = 3
Elimination Method

We have the same

A 5x + y = 17 number of y’s in each

B 3x + y = 11
- If we SUBTRACT the equations,
the y’s disappear

2x =6 Divide both sides by 2

x =3
5 x 3 + y = 17 Substitute x = 3 in equation A

15 + y = 17 Answer
y=2 x = 3, y = 2
Elimination Method

We have the same

A 2x + 3y = 9 number of x’s in each

B 2x + y = 7
- If we SUBTRACT the equations,
the x’s disappear
2y = 2 Divide both sides by 2

y =1
2x + 3 = 9 Substitute y = 1 in equation A

2x = 6 Answer
x=3 x = 3, y = 1
Elimination Method

We have the same

A 4x - 3y = 14 number of y’s in each
+
B 2x + 3y = 16 If we ADD the equations,
the y’s disappear
6x = 30 Divide both sides by 6

x =5
20 – 3y = 14 Substitute x = 5 in equation A

3y = 6 Answer
y=2 x = 5, y = 2
Basic steps

 Look at equations
 Same number of x’s or y’s?
 If the sign is different, ADD the equations otherwise subtract tem
 Then have ONE equation
 Solve this
 Substitute answer to get the other
 CHECK by substitution of BOTH answers
What if NOT same number of x’s or y’s?

A 3x + y = 10 If we multiply A by 2 we
get 2y in each
B 5x + 2y = 17
A
B
6x + 2y = 20
5x + 2y = 17
-
x =3
In B 5 x 3 + 2y = 17
15 + 2y = 17 Answer
x = 3, y = 1
y=1
What if NOT same number of x’s or y’s?

A 4x - 2y = 8
If we multiply A by 3 we
B 3x + 6y = 21 get 6y in each

A 12x - 6y = 24
B 3x + 6y = 21 +
15x = 45
x=3
In B 3 x 3 + 6y = 21 Answer
6y = 12 x = 3, y = 2
y=2
…if multiplying 1 equation doesn’t help?

A 3x + 7y = 26
Multiply A by 5 & B by 3,
B 5x + 2y = 24 we get 15x in each
A 15x + 35y = 130
B 15x + 6y = 72 - Could multiply A by 2 & B
29y = 58 by 7 to get 14y in each
y=2
In B 5x + 2 x 2 = 24 Answer
5x = 20 x = 4, y = 2
x=4
…if multiplying 1 equation doesn’t help?

A 3x - 2y = 7
Multiply A by 3 & B by 2,
B 5x + 3y = 37 we get +6y & -6y
A 9x – 6y = 21
B 10x + 6y = 74 + Could multiply A by 5 & B
19x = 95 by 3 to get 15x in each
x=5
In B 5 x 5 + 3y = 37 Answer
3y = 12 x = 5, y = 4
y=4