Linear Equations

1. Definition of a “ linear equation ”

1.1. A linear equation is something with an equation whose highest exponent
is one. Generally, it is structured in either the form ax + b = c ( for
equations with only one variable ) or ax + by = c ( for equations with two
variables ), with a, b, c ∈ R .
1.2. Although a linear equation can be a fraction, there should be no
variables in the denominator. This one here ( 5x + 3y = 10 ) is a valid
1 1
linear equation, whereas + =5 is not considered a valid linear
x y
equation, but a rational equation.
1.3. There must be no square roots or radicals as variables. Like said in 1.2,
you may put square roots in the constants, but don’t put them in the
variables, as these will render the conjecture invalid.
1.4. Similarly, a system of linear equations refers to a system of linear
equations with two or more unknowns. If there are two variables, x and
y, in a linear equation, then there must be two linear equations.
Moreover, equations with three or more unknowns must have the same
number of equations listed there, but this case is not always true.
2. Systems of Linear Equations and their Solutions
2.1. Using an ordered pair as a basis to finding out of it is a solution to a
system of linear equations
2.1.1. For example, let’s use this ordered pair 2x + 5y = 10 and x + 3y = 7.
Here, we’ll check if the ordered pair ( -1, 5 ) fits the equation.
2.1.2. After we insert these values into both of these equations, we get the
following results :
2x + 5y = 10 x + 3y = 7
2(-1) + 5(5) = 10 -1 + 3(5) = 7
-2 + 25 = 10 -1 + 15 = 7
23 = 10 ( False ) 14 = 7 ( False )

Therefore, the system is not a solution.

2.1.3. Note that a linear equation can only have one solution set. Even if
the result of a linear equation is considered as “ false ”, then the
entire solution set is rendered as incorrect. The solution set is
rendered as correct only if the inserted values according to the
ordered pair gives a correct result on both sides.
2.2. Translating English Sentences into Mathematical Equations
2.2.1. In this case, we’ll use the equation “ The sum of two numbers is 27.
Half the smaller number plus half the larger number is 36. ”
 2.2.2. In order to translate these equations, I’ll first use x as the first
number and y as the second number. The first part of the statement “
The sum of two numbers is 27 ” translates to x + y.
2.2.3. Also, we need to equalize both sides of the equation. The sign of “ is
” is then replaced with an equal sign. So, the equation’s result is x +
y = 27.
2.2.4. For the second equation, “ Half the smaller number plus half the
larger number is 36 ”, we’d already know the structure of the entire
equation.
1
2.2.5. From here, it says that half the smaller number ( x ) plus half the
2
1
larger number ( y ) gives us a result of 36. The structure of the
2
1 1
equation is, hence, x+ y=36.
2 2
2.3. Classifying Systems of Linear Equations
2.3.1. Overview
2.3.1.1. Some systems of linear equations just don’t have any
solutions.
2.3.1.2. The number of solutions in a system of linear equations is
different. Some systems have a definite, unique solution set,
others have infinitely many solutions over the course of all real
numbers, whereas there are solutions that don’t have a
solution at all. Thus, this gives us the thought that there are
three different systems of linear equations : consistent
independent ( when an equation has one solution ),
inconsistent independent ( when an equation doesn’t have any
solutions ), and consistent dependent ( when an equation has
infinitely many solutions, ie. x ∈ R .
2.3.2. Consistent Independent
2.3.2.1. A system of linear equations is considered consistent
independent when it has exactly one solution.
2.3.2.2. For example, the linear equations y = 2x – 3 and y = -x + 3
intersect at exactly one point with the coordinate ( 2, 1 ).
2.3.3. Inconsistent Independent
2.3.3.1. A system of linear equations is considered inconsistent
independent when it doesn’t have any solutions – even one
solution.
2.3.3.2. When we attempt to look for solutions to this system of linear
equations y = 5x + 7 and y = 5x – 7, there are no solutions that
come out. Thus, these are parallel lines, and there’s no
solution in this case.
2.3.4. Consistent Dependent
 2.3.4.1. A system of linear equations is considered consistent
dependent when it has infinitely many solutions. Normally,
these have identical graphs ( you cannot see individuality
when the lines are graphed together ).
2.3.4.2. In equations which are considered “ consistent dependent ”,
both of them have the same ratio. For example, the equations
y = x – 2 and 2y = 2x – 4 have the same result. Dividing the
second equation by 2 gives us y = x – 2, and that’s a reason
why the graphs of both lines are essentially the same.
2.3.5. Classifying Systems of Linear Equations using their Slope and y-
Intercept
2.3.5.1. Before beginning to classify them, re-write the equations in
slope-intercept form ( y = mx + b ) and compare their slopes
and y-intercepts.
2.3.5.2. After re-writing the equations in the slope intercept form
described in 2.3.5.1, you must have the following results :

{ a 1 x + b1 y = c1
a 2 x + b2 y = c 2
Note that this is the appearance of the equations before I’ve
transferred them into slope-intercept form.

{y = m 1 x + b1
y = m 2 x + b2
That’s the appearance of the equations after transferring them into
slope-intercept form. Note that m is the slope and b is the y-intercept
of the equation. By the way, here’s how you’ll transfer a linear
equation from the standard form ( ax + by = c ) into the slope intercept
form ( y = mx + b ) :

For example, let’s take 2x + 5y = 20

Step 1 : Subtract 2x from both sides.
2x + 5y – 2x = -2y + 20
5y = -2x + 20

Step 2 : Isolate the variable of y by dividing 5 on both sides.

5y = -2x + 20
5y -2x + 20
=
5 5
2 2
The result of the equation is, therefore, y = - x + 4 . Our slope is -
5 5
and our y-intercept is 4.
 2.3.5.3. Linear equations are classified into one of these categories
based on their slope and y-intercept :
2.3.5.3.1.If the slope and y-intercept aren’t the same, ie. m 1 ≠ m 2,
and b1 ≠ b 2, that means the equation is consistent
independent. Also, the system of linear equations has a
single, unique solution.
2.3.5.3.2.If the slopes are the same, but the y-intercept is different,
ie. m 1 = m 2, and b1 ≠ b 2, the equation is considered “
inconsistent independent ”. The equation, in this case, has
no solutions at all.
2.3.5.3.3.If the slopes and y-intercepts are both the same, ie.
m 1 = m 2, and b1 = b2, the equation is considered “
consistent dependent ”. Equations considered consistent
dependent have an infinite number of solutions.
3. Graphing Linear Equations
3.1. Sample question – A toy collector currently has three toys. Every month,
he adds 2 toys to his collection.
3.1.1. How many toys will he have after one month ? Two months ? Three
months ? Four months ? Five months ?

These can be answered with five toys, seven toys, nine toys,
eleven toys, and thirteen toys, respectively.
3.1.2. How will you represent this in a linear equation ? -> y = 2x + 3
3.1.3. Replace the unit of months with years. How many toys will the
mentioned toy collector have after five years, if he keeps collecting
the same amount of toys ?
3.1.3.1. First, let’s use the linear equation y = 24x + 3 instead.
3.1.3.2. Second, we’ll insert the unit of 5 as x, and the result is y =
24(5) + 3.
3.1.3.3. Therefore, the toy collector will have 123 toys at the end of
five years.
3.1.4. Use a graph to represent this data given in the first number.
3.2. Here are the methods being used to graph linear equations : point-
plotting method, intercepts method, and slope-intercept method.
3.3. In order to graph a line using the point-plotting method, you need to do
the following :
3.3.1. Find a minimum of three ( or four ) values of x that will fit the
equation. If m ∉ N , you may use the denominator of the slope as a
basis for these values.
3.3.1.1. If m ∈ N ( m is a natural number ), you need to do the
following steps :
 3.3.1.1.1.Let’s take the following equation y = 3x – 9
3.3.1.1.2.We’re going to set up a graph with the values of x = -1, x =
0 and x = 1. Then, we’ll insert these values of x and use
these as the basis of solving the value of y, namely :
x ( Input ) -1 0 1
y ( Output ) -12 -9 -6
3.3.1.1.3.These plots will be plotted in a graph / Cartesian plane.
Again, don’t forget that x is the horizontal axis and y is the
vertical axis.
3.3.1.2. If m ∉ N ( is not a natural number )
1
3.3.1.2.1.Let’s take the following equation here y = x + 5 .
3
1
3.3.1.2.2.Because the value of is a fraction and not a real number,
3
we’ll just plot the values of -3, 0 and 3 as x, so that it’s
easier. I’d recommend that the value of f(x), or y should, of
course, belong in this group : f(x) ∈ Z ( integers ) only.
3.3.1.2.3.Plotting x = -3, x = 0 and x = 3 into a table, we get
x ( Input ) -3 0 3
y ( Output ) 4 5 6
3.3.1.2.4.Now, we’ll insert these values into the Cartesian plane.
3.3.2. After you’ve drawn these coordinates, the only thing you need to do
is just draw a line across these points. Don’t forget to put
arrowheads on the end !
3.4. Here is a method that I’d suggest when you want to graph a line using
the Intercepts Method :
3.4.1. A line in the form y = mx + b, also called the slope-intercept form,
has two intercepts : the x-intercept and the y-intercept.
3.4.1.1. The x-intercept of the line is the value of x when y = 0. When
we use y = 0 in the formula written above into the general
solution of a linear equation in slope-intercept form, we have
this result :
b
mx + b = 0, therefore x = -
m
3.4.1.2. The y-intercept of the line is the value of y when x = 0. When
we use x = 0 in the formula written above ( considering the
general solution of a linear equation that’s written in slope-
intercept form ), we get the following result :
y = mx + b

After inserting the value of x = 0, we get :

y = m(0) + b
 Note that we’re multiplying a number by 0, thus discarding it.
y=b
3.4.2. After solving for the x- and y-intercepts, a line will be drawn
between them. When we consider the general formula of a line, we’ll
b
get the following intercepts : ( 0, b ) for the y-intercept and ( - ,
m
0 ) for the x-intercept. Then, a line is being drawn between these
points.
3.4.3. Let’s take the equation 3x – 2y = 6 as an example on how we’re
going to solve it.
3.4.3.1. Before finding any intercept, let’s convert the equation into
slope-intercept form.
Converting the equation into slope-intercept form gives us a
3
result of y = x - 3.
2
3.4.3.2. First, let’s find the y-intercept. When we insert x = 0 into the
equation, our result is this :
3
y = (0) - 3
2
y = -3
3.4.3.3. Then, let’s find the x-intercept. When we insert y = 0 into the
equation, we get the following result :
3
0= x - 3
2
3
-3 = - x
2
Therefore, x = 2.
3.4.3.4. According to these results, the intercepts that we’ve gotten
are ( 2, 0 ) and ( 0, -3 ).
3.5. This is how we’re going to graph a linear equation using the slope-
intercept method :
3.5.1. Take note of the direction of the slope. You can see it if it’s positive
or negative.
3.5.1.1. If the slope is positive ( m > 0 ), the line is drawn from left to
right.
3.5.1.2. If the slope is negative ( m < 0 ), the line is drawn from right
to left.
3.5.2. Write the equation in slope-intercept form. ( I’ve mentioned it
earlier in the reviewer – check previous sections, please )
3.5.3. Next, plot the y-intercept of the equation.
P. S. You don’t need to replace 0 with x to find the y-intercept of the
equation. Instead, you can just use the y-intercept ( b ) to plot the
y-intercept and nothing else.
 3.5.4. From the slope, use the rise and run in locating the second and third
points.
3.5.4.1. Let’s use this linear equation as an example of getting the rise
-2
and run : y = -2x + 1. The possible slopes are m = and m =
1
2
. The first one signifies that the rise is -2 and the run is 1,
-1
while the latter example tells us that the rise is 2 and the run
is -1.
4. Equation of a Line
4.1. The equation of a line can be written using different information. In
fact, there is not only one way to write the equation of a line, but
multiple ways. The different methods of writing the equation of a line
are called the slope-intercept form, point-slope form, two point form,
intercepts form, perpendicular line form, and parallel line form.
4.2. In order to write the “ standard form ” of the line, which is being called
here, the equation’s structure is usually in the form ax + by = c. Unlike
the typical “ standard form ” or “ slope intercept form ” being used in
equations written in the slope-intercept form, or y = mx + b, the
requirements are stricter. Here, the answer is correct only if a, b, c ∈ Z
and a > 0. So, if the value of a is < 0 ( negative ), you just need to
multiply the equation by -1.
4.3. Let’s start with something simple : the slope-intercept form.
4.3.1. All linear equations, especially those in two variables, have a slope
and a y-intercept. Usually, the slope-intercept form of a line is
defined as y = mx + b, in which m is the slope and b is the y-
intercept ( check previous sections for its definition ).
5
4.3.2. Write the equation of a line whose slope is - and y-intercept is 2.
7
4.3.2.1. First, we’ll write the formula of the slope-intercept form.
y = mx + b
5
4.3.2.2. Then, we’ll insert these values into the equation here. m = -
7
and b = 2
5
y=- x+2
7
4.3.2.3. We also need to re-write the equation in standard form.
However, this is not in standard form because x is after the
equal sign, so what we’re going to do is just add 5x on both
sides and we get the following result.
5
x+y=2
7
 5
4.3.2.4. Also because the first number, , isn’t a whole number, we
7
must multiply the entire thing by 7. So, the equation of the
line is 5x + 7y = 14.
4.4. Another equation of the line that we’ll use is the point-slope form.
4.4.1. If the only given information about the line are the slope, defined as
m, and the coordinate of the point ( x1, y 1 ) where the line passes
through, we can use the point slope form in writing the equation of
the line. It is essentially defined as y- y 1 = m ( x- x 1 ).
4.4.2. Once you’ve finished reading Section 4.4.1, here’s an example of how
you’ll determine the equation of a line using the point-slope form.
2
4.4.2.1. Let’s take the example in which the slope of the line is and
5
the line passes through the points ( -5, 2 ).
4.4.2.2. First, write the general formula of the point-slope form.
y- y 1 = m ( x- x 1 )
4.4.2.3. Then, insert these values that were given in the above sections
2
that were mentioned. In this case, the slope is and the line
5
passes through the points ( -5, 2 ), so the inputted information
gives us the following data :
2
y – 2 = ( x + 5)
5
2
y–2= x+2
5
2
y= x+4
5
2
- x+y=4
5
Note that the value in front is negative and does not belong
to the set of “ integer coefficients ”, so we’ll multiply the
entire thing by -5.
Our result is : 2x – 5y = -20
4.5. Although it’s possible to only solve an equation using the point-slope
form, there’s another more complicated way to figure out the equation
of a line. That’s the two-point form. Unlike the point-slope form, the
slope is not directly given here, so you need to manually calculate it.
The general formula is basically the same as the point-slope form, but
there’s a difference. Here, you need to manually calculate the slope ( as
it passes through 2 given points ) before doing anything else.
 y2 - y1
4.5.1. The general formula of the two-point form is y- y 1 =
x2 - x1
( x- x1 ) .
Normally, you use this formula if a line passes through two points,
namely ( x1, y 1 ) and ( x2, y 2 ).
4.5.2. For example, let’s find the equation of a line if it passes through
these points : ( 3, -6 ) and ( -2, 0 ).
4.5.2.1. Before trying to solve anything, we’ll find the slope first. The
y2 - y 1
formula to find the slope is .
x2 - x 1
When we insert these values into this equation, our slope will
0- (-6) 6
be =- .
-2 - 3 5
4.5.2.2. Then, we’ll just use the point-slope form to solve the rest of
the equation.
6
y- y 1 = - ( x- x1 )
5
6
y + 6 = - ( x- 3 )
5
Therefore, the equation of the line is 6x + 5y = -12.

4.6. The intercepts form is used when the x-intercept and the y-intercept of
the line is given. There, a and b are the x intercept and y-intercept of
the line, respectively. The general formula of the line is defined as
x y
+ = 1.
a b
4.6.1. For example, we’ll find the equation of the line if it passes through
the points ( 5, 0 ) and ( 0, -1 ).
x y
4.6.2. First, we’ll write the formula. + = 1.
a b
4.6.3. Then, we’ll insert the values of a = 5 and b = -1 into the equation.
x y
- = 1.
5 1
4.6.4. Now that we’ve inserted the intercepts into the general formula of
the equation, we’ll multiply the entire equation by 5 so that we can
eliminate the denominator. The result is, hence, x – 5y = 5.
4.7. Finally, the other two forms of a line are the parallel and perpendicular
forms of a line. In solving these equations, it’s important to first know
that parallel lines have the same slope, whereas perpendicular lines
have different slopes. This demonstrates that the slope of a parallel line
is equal to that of another one, while the slope of a perpendicular line is
the opposite reciprocal of the given.
4.7.1. Parallel lines
 4.7.1.1. According to this example, we’ll find the equation of a line
that is parallel to y = 2x + 1 and passes through the points ( 5,
4 ).
4.7.1.2. We already know that the slope of this line is 2, so the line
parallel to this needs to have a slope of 2 as well.
4.7.1.3. According to the general slope-intercept form of a line, y = mx
+ b, we’ll insert the value of m ( the slope ) as 2 and use the
point given to us to solve for the y-intercept. We get the
following result :
y = 2x + b
4 = 2(5) + b
4 = 10 + b
b = -6
Therefore, the line is written as y = 2x – 6. However, we’re
looking for the standard form of the equation, so the line is
written as 2x – y = 6.
4.7.2. Perpendicular lines
4.7.2.1. Because we know that the concept of “ parallel lines ” ( those
that have the same slope ) and “ perpendicular lines ” ( those
that don’t have the same slope ) are particularly different in
nature, the steps to calculate the equation of a line in
perpendicular lines are not the same. Instead of writing the
slope as is, we need to find its negative reciprocal. For
example, if the slope of a line is 2, the slope of its parallel is
1
- . Now, we can use this result to further calculate the
2
equation.
4.7.2.2. When we use this slope ( instead of 2 ), while keeping the
same equation listed in the previous section, this time making
the lines pass through the points ( 3, 1 ), we get :
1
y=- x+b
2
3
1=- + b
2
5
b=
2
1 5
y = - x + , also 2y = -x + 5.
2 2
Therefore, the equation of the line here is x + 2y = 5.