SAT MATHS: ALGEBRA
• Solving linear equations and linear inequalities
• linear equation word problem
• Linear relationship word problem
• graph of linear equation and functions
• solving systems of linear equation
• systems of linear equation word problem
• linear inequalities word problem
• graph of linear systems and inequalities
BY MOG
Solving linear equations and linear inequalities |
Using linear equations to evaluate expressions
Sometimes, we'll be given a linear equation in one variable and be asked
to evaluate a different expression containing the variable. We can
approach this type of question in two ways:
Knowing the second approach is not required, though it may save you
valuable time on test day.
Types of linear inequalities
The steps for solving linear inequalities are
similar to those for solving linear equations.
For inequalities, we have to pay attention to the
direction of the inequality signs.
Linear inequalities that do not require
reversing the inequality sign
When the coefficient of x is positive, the
inequality sign maintains its direction when we
divide by the coefficient to isolate x
Linear inequalities that require reversing
the inequality sign
When the coefficient of x is negative, we
must reverse the direction of the inequality
sign when we divide by the coefficient to
isolate x.
Example:
What values of xsatisfy the
inequality
[-2x+1>5] ?
Try it!
try solving this linear inequality
-2x > 9 + 4x
How do I alter the number of solutions
for linear equations?
Note: Questions about the
number of solutions for linear
equations do not appear on every
test.
How many solutions can a linear
equation have?
Most linear equations on the SAT
have exactly one solution. Linear
equations with no solutions or
infinitely many solutions must be
engineered by specifying the values
of constants.
LINEAR EQUATION WORD PROBLEM
In this lesson, we'll:
Review the basics of linear relationships
Practice writing linear equations based on
word problems
Identify the important features of linear
functions
The skills covered here will be important for
the following SAT lessons:
Graphs of linear equations and functions
Systems of linear equations word problems
Linear inequality word problems
Graphs of linear systems and inequalities
Translating word problems
It may not be hard to translate "Maya is
3 inches taller than Geoff" into a linear
equation, but some SAT word problems are
several sentences long, and the information
we need to build an equation may be
scattered around.
What are important features of
linear functions?
Linear equations in slope-intercept
form
Linear functions
Any linear equation with two
variables is technically a function.
Linear functions are usually written in
either slope-intercept form or
standard form. We need a thorough
and flexible understanding of these
forms in order to approach many SAT
questions about linear relationships.
Graphs of linear equations and functions
How do I tell the features of lines from
linear equations?
Converting to slope-intercept form
How do I write linear equations
based on slopes and points?
Slope-intercept equation from two
points
How do I write equations of parallel
and perpendicular lines?
Parallel & perpendicular lines from
graph
Solving systems of linear equations
How does substitution work?
Our goal when solving a system of
equations is to reduce two equations
with two variables down to a single
equation with one variable. Since
each equation in the system has two
variables, one way to reduce the
number of variables in an equation is
to substitute an expression for a
variable.
How do I solve systems of linear
equations by elimination?
System of equations with elimination
How does elimination work?
Our goal when solving a system of
equations is to reduce two equations
with two variables down to a single
equation with one variable. Since each
equation in the system has two
variables, one way to reduce the
number of variables is to add or
subtract the two equations in the
system to cancel out, or eliminate, one
of the variables.
The two lines in the
xy - plane above have different
slopes, one positive and one
negative. Because they have
different slopes, the lines
intersect exactly once, and the
system they represent has
exactly one solution at the point
of intersection,
(4,1)