Linear equations

● An equation is a statement in algebra that says two expressions are equivalent.

● A linear equation is one in which the highest power on any variable is 1.

Solving linear equations

It usually makes sense to proceed in this order:

1. Eliminate any fractions

2. Collect and combine like terms
3. Divide to leave the desired variable by itself

Example:

1 1
3
(𝑥 + 11) = 2
(4𝑥 − 6)

1 1
6* 3
(𝑥 + 11) = 6 * 2
(4𝑥 − 6) //multiply both sides by 6

2(𝑥 + 11) = 3(4𝑥 − 6)

2𝑥 + 22 = 12𝑥 − 18 //expand the brackets

10𝑥 = 40 //move around like terms

𝑥=4 //divide by 10 and find the answer

Modeling real-world scenarios

When you’re answering these questions, you’ll need to translate from English into math. The
following table shows some of the most common phrases and mathematical equivalents you’re
likely to see on the SAT.

English Math

equals, is, equivalent to, was, will be, has, costs, adds up to the same as, as =
much as

times, of, multiplied by, product of, twice, double, by ×

divided by, per, out of, each, ratio ÷

 plus, added to, and, sum, combined, total, increased by +

minus, subtracted from, smaller than, less than, fewer, decreased by, difference -
between

a number, how much, how many, what x, n, etc.

Working with linear graphs

● When a linear equation is written in slope-intercept form, y = mx + b, the variable m
gives the slope of the line, and b represents the point at which the line intersects the
y-axis.
● In a real-world scenario, slope represents a unit rate, and the y-intercept represents a
starting amount.
● The rate of change (slope) for a linear relationship is constant (does not vary).
𝑦2−𝑦1
● Slope is given by the formula 𝑚 = 𝑥2−𝑥1
where (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) are coordinates of
points on the line.
● A line with a positive slope runs up and to the right “/” (“uphill”), and a line with a negative
slope runs down and to the right “\” (“downhill”).
● A horizontal line has a slope of 0 (because it does not rise or fall from left to right).
● A vertical line has an undefined slope.
● Parallel lines have the same slope.
● Perpendicular lines have negative reciprocal slopes (for example, 3 and -1/3).

Classwork
Ex.1. Solve each of the following equations for x.

1. 2𝑥 + 3 = 7 + 𝑥

2. − 2𝑥 + 4 = 5𝑥 − 10

3. (4𝑥 + 5) − (− 2𝑥 + 11) = 𝑥 + 4

1
4. 2
𝑥 + 1 = 3𝑥 − 4

3 1
5. 4
𝑥+ 3
𝑥=𝑥+1

6. 2𝑘𝑥 + 3 – 𝑥 – 3 = 𝑥 – 1
7. 12𝑥 + 16 = 8𝑥 + 20𝑦 + 12𝑧

8. 3𝑥 + 2𝑦 – 4 = 7𝑥 + 8𝑧 + 2

9. 𝑦(𝑥 + 4) = 2𝑥 + 7

10. (𝑥 – 3)(𝑥 + 4) = (𝑥 – 2)(𝑥 + 5)

Ex.2. Translate from English to math.

1. The number of robins is 4 less than 3 times the number of bluebirds.

2. After a 15 percent decrease in the original purchase price, a certain stock is worth $92
per share.
3. Average speed if the total distance traveled in two and one-half hours is D miles.
4. The product of x and y is equivalent to their sum increased by 5.
5. Jose’s age in 5 years will be 1 year more than double what Beatrice’s age was 2 years
ago.
6. If 2 more blue chips are added to a pile, the ratio of blue to red chips will be 3:1.
7. The total of the ages of Rachel’s siblings if she has one sibling that is 3 years younger
and three siblings that are 2, 4, and 5 years older.
8. If the number of dimes in a piggy bank is decreased by 2, then 3 out of every 5 coins in
the piggy bank will be dimes.
9. The product of x decreased by y and one-third the sum of x and half of y.
10. If the value of Martine’s assets increased by $10,000, then the combined assets of
Martine and Angela would be twice what Martine’s assets would be if they were
increased by half.

Ex.3. Write the equation for the line that passes through each set of points.

1. (5, 5), (4, 3)

2. (-7, 3), (-5,1)
3. (-3, 4.5), (3, 4.5)
4. (-5,-4), (8,-3)
1 1 1
5. (− 2
, 7 2 ), (3 4 , 0)
Homework
1
1. If a = 3 and b = 24, what is the value of 7a + 8?

A) 5 B) 29 C) 56 D) 64

2. If 4x + 5 is 4 less than 10, what is the value of 2x?

1 1
A) 4 B) 2 C) 4 D) 8

3.

In the xy‐plane above, a point with coordinates (a, b) lies on the graph of the linear
function h. If a and b are positive integers, what is the ratio of a to b?

A) 2:3 B) 3:2 C) 5:6 D) 6:5

3
4. 4
(8𝑥 + 12) + 5 = 8𝑥 + 12

Based on the equation above, what is the value of 5x + 1?

5. A line that passes through the origin in the xy-plane has a slope of Which of the following
is a point on the line?

A) (−14, −6) B) (−6,−14) C) (−6, 14) D) (14, 6)

6. Sara is waiting in line to ride the amusement park’s newest roller coaster. The number of
people in front of her can be represented by the equation P = 34 − 2m, where P is the
number of people in front of her and m is the number of minutes Sara has waited in line.
What is the meaning of the value 34 in this equation?
 A) Sara will reach the front of the line within 34 minutes.

B) Sara started with 34 people in front of her.

C) Sara moves up in the line at a rate of 34 people per hour.

D) Sara moves up in the line at a rate of 34 people per minute.

7. If |d — 9| + 5 = 11, what is a possible value of d?

8. A line passes through the origin and points (−4, c) and (c, −9). What is one possible
value of c?

A) 4 B) 6 C) 9 D) 12

9. w = 240 + 1.2d

The weight of a flask containing a solution can be modeled by the equation above,
where w is the weight in grams and d is the number of drops of solution that are in the
flask. What is d when w is 300?

A) 50 B) 120 C) 276 D) 600

10. For some value b, which of the following expressions is equal to −2?

A) |b − 2| − 2

B) |b − 2| + 2

C) |b + 2| − 1

D) |2 − b| + 1

11. Sunjay is traveling to a national park. The number of miles he needs to travel can be
represented by the equation M = 172 − 57h, where M is the the number of miles to the
national park and h is the number of hours Sunjay has to travel. What is the meaning of
the value 57 in this equation?

A) Sunjay started at a distance 57 miles from the national park.

B) Sunjay will reach the national park in 57 hours.

C) Sunjay travels to the national park at a rate of 57 miles per hour.

D) Sunjay has traveled 172 miles in 57 hours.

12.

What is the equation of the line connecting the midpoint of line segment AB with point C
in the figure above?

A) y = −2x − 2

B) y = −2x + 5

2
C) 𝑦 = 3
𝑥+6

D) y = 2x − 2

13. Line y = mx + 5 passes through point (a, b), where a ≠ 0 and b ≠ 0. If m is a constant,
what is the slope of the line in terms of a and b?

𝑏−5 𝑎−5 5−𝑏 5−𝑎

A) B) C) D)
𝑎 𝑏 𝑎 𝑏

14. Julius has budgeted $150 per month for electricity. Last month his electricity bill was
$190 based on a rate of $0.12 per kilowatt hour. Which of the equations below
represents the number of kilowatt hours, k, by which Julius needs to reduce his
electricity usage this month in order to meet his budget?

𝑘
A) 0.12 = 40

𝑘
B) 12 = 40

C) 0.12k = 40

D) 0.12k = 150
 2 7
15. The line with the equation 3 𝑥 − 8 𝑦 = 2 is graphed in the xy-plane. What is the
x-coordinate of the x-intercept of the line?

16. A factory produces parts on two eight-hour shifts per day. Each shift produces the parts
at a different, but constant, rate. The number of parts produced by each shift are added
to obtain a cumulative total for the day. If the cumulative number of parts produced by
the end of two hours of the second shift was 320 and the cumulative number produced
by the end of five hours of the second shift was 440, how many parts per hour did the
first shift produce?

A) 30 B) 40 C) 70 D) 240

17.

In the graph above, what is the speed, to the nearest 5 miles per hour, between 1 and 2
hours?

18. Last week, Kimmy practiced piano p minutes each day for 5 days, and Carl practiced
cello c minutes each day for 6 days. Which of the following represents the total number
of minutes Kimmy and Carl practiced their instruments last week?

A) 11pc

B) 30pc

C) 5p + 6c

D) 6p + 5c
 1 1
19. The total inventory of a certain automobile dealer consists of sport utility vehicles,
3 4
1
pickup trucks, sedans, and 26 vehicles that are not one of these three types. How
5
many vehicles are in the dealer’s inventory?

A) 50 B) 80 C) 120 D) 160

20. The number of members that joined the Spanish club between 2000 and 2010 is twice
the number of members who joined between 1990 and 2000. If 17 members joined the
Spanish club between 1990 and 2000 and m members joined between 2000 and 2010,
which of the following equations is true?

A) 17m = 2

B) 2m = 17

C) m + 2 = 17

D) m/2 = 17