Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Linear Equations
A linear equation is one that can be written in the form y = mx + b , where m and b are
real numbers, and y and x are variables. It is linear as it is a polynomial of order 1 in x
(highest exponent of x is 1). Linear equations can also be written in the form
Ax + By = C , which is far more common in solving equations vs the former’s use in
graphing.
Linear equations can be graphed on the Cartesian Plane, where x and y form a
coordinate pair of points (written as (x, y ) ), and, as the name suggests, they create a
straight line when considering all the points that satisfy the linear equation. In the
equation above, b is the y-intercept (value of y when x is 0), and m is the slope of the
graph (rise over run). In the Ax + By = C form, the slope can easily be taken by
−A C
rearranging the variables, then dividing by the coefficient B (y = B
x + B
) .
Let us take a look at the illustration below as an example:
Image from: https://www.ipracticemath.com/learn/algebra/algebra_linear_nonlinear_equations
©Project Pi
The line y = 2x + 3 is plotted above, showing several points. Substituting each of these
points back into the equation will indeed show equality, e.g. (1, 5) ⇒ 2(1) + 3 = 5
If we were to determine the line’s equation from its graphical representation, we can first
y 2 −y 1
determine the slope via the equation x2 −x1
, which is the mathematical equivalent of the
aforementioned rise/run. Substituting points (1, 5) and (− 1, 1) back into the equation,
5−1
we get m = 1−(−1)
= 2 . As for the y-intercept, we simply need to check where the line
Systems of equations
Sometimes, questions may give two linear equations, looking for a coordinate pair (x,y)
that satisfy both. Graphically, this pair is the point of intersection, as it lies on both lines.
For example, let us use y = 5x + 6 and y = 2x − 4 . We call this pair of equations a system.
To solve for the unknowns in the system, we can proceed by either using substitution or
elimination. For the sake of demonstration, we’ll provide an example for both and show
that they lead to the same answer.
Let our two linear equations be:
X + Y = 80
12Y + 19Y = 1184
Substitution
This involves expressing one variable in terms of the other. Here, the first equation is
simpler as the leading coefficients of X and Y are 1, so we let X = 80 − Y .
Plugging this into the second equation (as we know the values X and Y must be the
same in both equations), we obtain 12(80 − Y ) + 19Y = 1184 . This finally gives Y = 32 ,
which we can plug back into the first equation to obtain X = 48 . We can instead make Y
the subject of the equation Y = 80 − X or even manipulate the second equation to
produce the same results, albeit perhaps slower. This is an exercise left to the reader.
Elimination
In solving by elimination, we aim to get rid of a variable by means of subtracting or
adding the two equations. In this case, we will choose to eliminate X first. As equality is
preserved when manipulating both sides of an equation, what we can do is magnify the
first equation by a factor of -12.
©Project Pi
This gives:
− 12X − 12Y = − 960
12X + 19Y = 1184
By adding these two equations, we obtain 7Y = 224 and Y = 32 . Notice that X is
eliminated in this process, making it much simpler to solve in just one variable. From
here, we can again obtain that X = 48 , and again, we may opt to instead eliminate Y to
produce the same results. Again, this is an exercise left to the reader.
Parallel and Perpendicular lines
Graphically speaking, parallel lines are lines that never intersect. In the coordinate plane,
this can be represented as two lines with equal slopes and different y-intercepts, as the
lines will never “catch up” to one another, having the same value for rise/run at every
increment. For example, y = 2x + 3 and y = 2x − 5 are parallel to one another.
Perpendicular lines, on the other hand, are those whose slopes are negative reciprocals
of each other, i.e. their product is -1. For example, the lines y = 2x + 3 and y = − 12 x + 5
are perpendicular.
Horizontal and Vertical Lines
y 2 −y 1
Recall that the equation for the slope of a line is x2 −x1
. For example, a horizontal line
Collinear Lines
Collinear lines are simply a set of lines that have the same equation when simplified. For
example, y = 2x + 4 and 2y = 4x + 8 are collinear to one another.
Midpoint of Two Points
If one were to connect two points by a straight line, then infinitely many points would also
be present on this line, among which is the midpoint. Particularly, the midpoint, denoted
as M, of line segment AB, is the point on AB such that AM = BM. Given points
x! +x2 y 1 +y 2
A(x1 , y 1 ) and B(x2 , y 2 ) , then M( 2 , 2 ) . Particularly, the midpoint has coordinates
equal to the average of the two endpoints.
Distance Formula
It is known that the shortest path between any two points is a straight line segment. The
length of this segment is easy to calculate had the points been on a vertical or horizontal
line, but this is not always the case. Thus, the distance formula states given two points
Solving for the equation of a line given different informations
• The standard form: Ax + By = C
where A, B, and C are all integers, and A, B =/ 0 .
• The slope-intercept form: y = mx + b
If both slope (m) and y-intercept (b) are known, the above equation can be used. The
equation’s form is extremely popular for graphing as one can directly obtain
corresponding values for y from plugging in x.
©Project Pi
Two-Point
By letting (x1 , y 1 ) = (1, 2) and (x2 , y 2 ) = (4, 8) , we have the equation to be
8−2
y − 2 = 4−1
(x − 1) ⇒ y − 2 = 2(x − 1) ⇒ y = 2x , which is the same as above.
Intersection of Linear Equations
In regards to the intersection of two linear equations, there are only 3 possible cases.
They are as follows:
Case 1: The 2 lines only intersect at 1 point. In the point slope form, this occurs when the
values for m are different.
Case 2: The lines overlap, and there are infinitely many points of intersection. In the
point-slope form, this occurs when the values for m and b are the same.
©Project Pi
Case 3: the lines are parallel, and therefore do not have any intersection points. In the
point-slope form, this occurs when the value for m is the same, but not b.
Linear Inequalities
©Project Pi
Linear inequalities are expressions that involve inequalities of linear functions. These
inequalities four distinct forms:
Greater than
> or “greater than” signifies that the solution is the set of coordinates above the linear
function. Keep in mind that the linear function itself is not included in the set of
coordinates and is graphed with a dotted line.
Graph with a positive slope. Graph with negative slope
Less than
< or “less than” is signifies that the solution is the set of coordinates below the linear
function. Keep in mind that the linear function itself is not included in the set of
coordinates and is graphed with a dotted line
Graph with a positive slope. Graph with a negative slope
©Project Pi
Less than or equal to
≤ or “less than or equal to” signifies that the solution is the set of coordinates below the
linear function. Keep in mind that the linear function itself is included in the set of
coordinates and is graphed with a full line
Graph with a positive slope. Graph with a negative slope