Jeremy wants to determine the number of solutions for the equation below without actually solving the equation.
2 answers:
Answer:
1 solution
Step-by-step explanation:
Jeremy can simplify the equation enough to determine if the x-coefficient on one side of the equation is the same or different from the x-coefficient on the other side. Here, that simplification is ...
-3x -3 +3x = -3x +3 +3
We see that the x-coefficient on the left is 0; on the right, it is -3. These values are different, so there is one solution.
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In the attached, the left-side expression is called y1; the right-side expression is called y2. The two expressions are equal where the lines they represent intersect. That point of intersection is x=3. (For that value of x, both sides of the equation have a value of -3.)
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<em>Additional comment</em>
If the equation's x-coefficients were the same, we'd have to look at the constants. If they're the same, there are an infinite number of solutions. If they are different, there are no solutions.
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