MathsStart

(NOTE Feb 2013: This is the old version of MathsStart.

New books will be created during 2013 and 2014)

Topic 2

Linear Functions
y

0 x
–1 1

y < 2x – 1

–1

MATHS LEARNING CENTRE

Level 3, Hub Central, North Terrace Campus
The University of Adelaide, SA, 5005
TEL 8313 5862 | FAX 8313 7034 | EMAIL [email protected]
www.adelaide.edu.au/mathslearning/
This Topic...
This module introduces linear functions, their graphs and characteristics. Linear functions
are widely used in mathematics and statistics. They arise naturally in many practical and
theoretical situations, and they are also used to simplify and interpret relationships between
variables in the real world. Other topics include simultaneous linear equations and linear
inequalities.

Author of Topic 2: Paul Andrew

__ Prerequisites ______________________________________________
You will need to solve linear equations in this module. This is covered in appendix 1.

__ Contents __________________________________________________
Chapter 1 Linear Functions and Straight Lines.
Chapter 2 Simultaneous Linear Equations.
Chapter 3 Linear Inequalities.
Appendices
A. Linear Equations
B. Assignment
C. Answers

Printed: 18/02/2013
1
Linear Functions and Straight Lines

Linear functions are functions whose graphs are straight lines. The important characteristics of
linear functions are found from their graphs.

1.1 Examples of linear functions and their graphs

Cost functions are commonly used in financial analysis and are examples of linear functions.
Example
The table below shows the cost of using a plumber for between 0 and 4 hours. This plumber has a
$35 callout fee and charges $25 per hour.

Hours 0 1 2 3 4
Cost 35 35  25 1 35  25  2 35  25  3 35  25  4

It can be seen from this table that the cost function for the plumber is C = 35 + 25T, where T is the
   
number of hours worked. This is a linear function and it has a straight line graph.

150
•
•
Cost ($)

C = 35 + 25T
100
•
•
50
•

0 1 2 3 4 5 T
Time (hours)
The graph cuts the C-axis at the point (0, 35), corresponding to the cost of the call out fee when T =
0. The cost then increases steadily at a rate of $25 per hour.

1
 Simultaneous Linear Equations 2

Lines of best fit are often used to model the relationship between two variables. A line of best fit is
a straight line that best fits a set of data, and is usually drawn with the aid of a software package like
Excel.

Example
The graph below shows the amount of diesel fuel used by a farmer when ploughing a variety of
paddocks at a constant speed (the data points are indicated by dots). The relationship between fuel
used and time taken is roughly linear (i.e. given by a straight line). The line can be used to estimate
future fuel needs and costs.

•
• •
Fuel

•
Diesel Fuel

•
•
Diesel

• • •
•
• •
• •
• •

T
Ploughing Time

When studying the mathematical properties of general linear functions we use x to represent the
independent variable and y to represent the dependent variable. We also place no restrictions on the
domain of the independent variable x. The x- and y-intercepts of linear functions (ie. where the
straight lines cut the x- and y-axes) are important features of linear functions, and are usually shown
on their graphs unless there is a good reason not to.

Example
The graph of the linear function y  200x 100 is shown below. The x-intercept is (0.5, 0) and the
y-intercept is (0, –100). When the value of x increases by 1 unit, the value of y increases by 200
units.

 3 Linear Functions

100 y  200x 100



0 x
–1 1

–100

Example (See Appendix: Linear Equations)

The x- and y- intercepts of the linear function y = 200x – 100 can be found algebraically as follows:
(a) To find x-intercept: (b) To find y-intercept:
Put y = 0 Put x = 0
200x – 100 = 0 y = 0 – 100 = –100
200x = 100 The y-intercept is (0, –100).
x = 100/200 = 0.5
The x-intercept is (0.5, 0).

The quickest way of drawing a straight line graph is to The x- and y-intercepts are
usually chosen to be the two
• find two points on the line, then points.

• draw a straight line through these two points.

Problems 1.1
Each function below is a linear function, with a straight line graph. Draw each graph, showing the
x- and y-intercepts.
(a) y  2x 1 (b) y  20x 10 (c) y  0.1(2x 1)
(d) yx (e) y  2x (f) y  3x
(g) f (x)  x 1 (h) f (x)  2x 1 (i) g(x)  2  3x
  
  
  
 Simultaneous Linear Equations 4

1.2 The gradient of a straight line

The gradient (or slope) of a straight line measures its steepness. It is represented by the letter m.

rise
m = gradient = run

When calculating a gradient, a "rise" may be positive, e.g.

2
2 m  0.2
10
metres
10
metres

or it may be negative, e.g.

2
–2 m  0.2
10

10
metres

The steeper the line, the larger the gradient (in both the positive or negative directions):

m=3 m=0
m=2

m = 1.5
m = –0.5

m=1

m = –1

m = 0.5
m = –1.5
m = –2
Notice that angles are
m= m = –3
not doubled when
0 gradients are doubled
 5 Linear Functions

The slope of a straight line in a graph can be calculated from any two points on the line.

If (x1, y1 ) and (x2 , y2 ) are any two points on the line below,
y

 
y2
(x2 , y2 )

y1
(x1 , y1 )
x
x1 x2

then the gradient of the line is given by the formula:

This formula is
rise y2  y1 still true if the line
m = run =
x2  x1 slopes downwards,
or if the two points
are used in reverse
order.


Problems 1.2
1. Find the gradients of the lines below

y
y
(a) (b)
2
1

–1 0 x

0 1 x

2. Draw a horizontal line and find its gradient.

 Simultaneous Linear Equations 6

1.3 The standard form of a straight line

The equation of a line is a formula showing the relationship between the x- and y-coordinates of
any point P on the line.

Suppose a line has gradient m and y-intercept (0, c), and suppose that the point P is a general point
on the line with coordinates (x, y).

y-axis

y • P(x, y)

(0, c)

x x-axis

The diagram above shows that the gradient of the line between the y-intercept (0, c) and the point
P(x, y) is
yc yc
m  .
x0 x
Multiplying by x gives
mx  y  c

which is the same as
y  mx c

This formula connecting the x- and y-coordinates of the line is the equation of the line.


The equation of the straight line with gradient m and y-intercept (0, c) is y  mx c .


This equation is called the standard form of a straight line. Every straight line with gradient m and
y-intercept (0, c) has the equation y  mx c , and the graph of the equation y  mx c is a straight
line with gradient m and y-intercept (0, c).

 
 7 Linear Functions

Linear functions are functions that have straight line graphs, so:

A linear function of x has the standard form f (x)  mx  c .

Example 
The graph of y  2x 1 is a straight line with gradient m = 2 and y-intercept (0, –1).

Example

The function f (x)  2x  3(1 x) is a linear function of x because it can be rewritten as f (x)  x  3 .
Its graph has gradient m = 1 and y-intercept (0, 3).

 
Example
Find the equation of the straight line that has gradient 2 and passes through the point (3, 4).
Answer
As the line has gradient m = 2, its equation is y  2x  c .
To find c, substitute (3, 4) into the equation of the line.
4 =23 +c

c = -2
The equation is y  2x  2 .
Check
Put x = 3, then y  2  3 2  4 .


Example

Find the equation of the straight line that contains the two points (1, 1) and (3, 4).
Answer
It makes no difference if
y2  y1 4 1 3
The gradient of the line is m    . (3, 4) is used instead, the
x2  x1 31 2 calculation just looked a
bit easier with (1, 1).
3 3
As the line has gradient m  , its equation is y  x  c .
2 2
 (1, 1) into the equation of the line.
To find c, substitute
3
1  c 
2
3 1
c  1  
2 2



 Simultaneous Linear Equations 8

3 1
The equation is y  x  .
2 2
Check
3 1
= 1, then y    1 .
Put x 
2 2
3 1
Put x = 3, then y   3  4 .
2 2


Problems 1.3

1. What are the gradients and y-intercepts of the following lines?
(a) y = 3x + 2 (b) y = 1 – 2x (c) y = x + 6 (d) y = –x.
2. Find the equation of the line that has gradient –2 and passes through (2, 3).
3. If two lines are parallel, then they have the same gradients or slopes.
Find the equation of the line that is parallel to y = 2 – x and passes through (–1, 2).
4. Find the equation of the line that passes through (1, –1) and (2, 3).
5. Find the x- and y-intercepts of the line that is parallel to y = 2x + 3 and passes through (2, 1).
6. Find the x- and y-intercepts of the line that contains the points (-2, 1) and (1, -2).
7. If two lines are perpendicular, then their gradients, m1 and m2, satisfy m1  m2 = –1. For
example, the lines y = 4x + 1 and y = –0.25x + 10 are perpendicular. Find the equation of the line
which is perpendicular to y = 2x – 4, and which has the same y-intercept as y = 2x – 4. (It may
help to sketch the line first.)

1.4 The general equation of a straight line

y2  y1
The gradient of a line, m = , is only be defined when the denominator of the formula is not
x 2  x1
zero. This is true for all lines except vertical lines.

y
• (1, 2)

• (1, 1)
• (1, 0) x

• (1, –1)
• (1, –2)
Because of this, the standard form of a straight line does not apply to vertical lines!
9 Linear Functions

What is the equation of the vertical line above? Remember that the equation of a line is a formula
that shows the relationship between the x- and y-coordinates of any point P on the line. Each point
on the vertical line above has x-coordinate equal to 1, without any restriction on the y-coordinates
of the points on the line. The equation describing this situation is x = 1 (meaning x-coordinate = 1).

Similarly, a vertical line with points of the form (xo, y), with no restriction on y-coordinates, has
equation x = xo.

y
• (xo, 2)
• (xo, 1)
• (xo, 0) x

• (xo, –1)
• (xo, –2)

For comparison, the graph below is the graph of the horizontal line y = 1, having gradient m = 0.

• • • • •
(–2, 1) (–1, 1) (0, 1) (1, 1) (2, 1) In this equation a, b, c
are some numbers. The
“c” does not refer to the
x y-intercept as in the
standard form of a
straight line, it is just a
number.

The general equation of a straight line is ax + by = c, where a, b and c are numbers.

This general equation includes the equations of both vertical and non-vertical lines.
Examples
(a) The line y = 2x - 1 can be written as 2x – y = 1, with a = 2, b = –1 and c = 1.
(b) The vertical line x = 2 has a = 1, b = 0 and c = 2.
(c) The horizontal line y = 5 has a = 0, b = 1 and c = 5.
 Simultaneous Linear Equations 10

It is easy to calculate the intercepts of a straight line from its general equation . . .

Example
Find the intercepts of the line 2x + 3y = 12
Answer
Put y = 0, then 2x 12  x  6.
Put x = 0, then 3y 12  y  4 .
The intercepts are (6, 0) and (0, 4).



. . . however, to find the gradient of a line, you need to change its equation into the standard form.

Example
Find the gradient of 2x + 3y = 12
Answer
2x  3y  12
3y  2x 12
2
y x4
3
2
The gradient is m =  .
3



2
Simultaneous Linear Equations

It is often useful to find the point of intersection of two straight lines.

Example
A company manufactures seat covers. It leases workspace at a fixed monthly cost of $ 2 000. Each
seat cover costs $15 to make (materials and labour). If x seat covers were made each month, the
total monthly cost (C) would be given by the cost function:
C = 2 000 + 15x (dollars)
Each seat cover will be sold for $22.50. The total income from sales (I) is given by the income
function:
I = 22.5x (dollars),
where x is the number of seat covers sold.

The graphs of the cost and income functions are drawn below using the same axes. The point of
intersection of the two lines corresponds to the breakeven point, where income equals cost.

6000 • (267, 6 000)

C = 2 000 + 15x
Amount ($)

4000
I = 22.5x

2000

0 100 200 300

Number of Seat Covers

Two non-parallel lines have only one point of intersection, and the coordinates of this point can be

estimated using a graph. Alternatively, the coordinates can be found exactly by using algebra to

solve a pair of simultaneous linear equations.

11
 Simultaneous Linear Equations 12

Simultaneous equations are equations that have a shared solution.

Example We are solving these

y  2000 15x equations simultaneously
Solve  simultaneously. for shared x- and y-values.
y  22.5x
Answer
As the two equations have a shared solution for x and y, we can write
 22.5x  2000 15x
7.5x  2000
2000 Substituting the solution for x
x  266.7 (4 sf) back into one of the original
7.5 equations gives the solution for y.
2000
and y  22.5x  22.5   6000 .
7.5

There are two methods for solving a pair of simultaneous linear equations: substitution and

elimination. It doesn’t matter which you use.

In the following examples, the equations are written in the general form of straight lines, as this will
be used in later problems.
Example
 x  2y  4
Solve the pair of simultaneous equations  by substitution.
7x  5y  9
Answer First label the equations as
x  2y  4 (1) (1) and (2), so you can refer
 to them later
7x  5y  9 (2)

Solve equation (1) for x

We first find x in terms of y (or
 x  4  2y vice versa), then substitute it into
the other equation. This results in
an equation in one unknown,
Substitute x into equation (2) which we know how to solve.
 7(4 – 2y)  5y  9
28 14 y  5y  9
19y  19
y 1
Substitute y = 1 into (1) to find x.
x  2 1  4

x2
The solutions are x = 2 and y = 1.


 13 Linear Functions
We found x = 2 by substituting
Check y = 1 into equation (1), so check
the answer by substituting x = 2
Substitute x = 2 and y = 1 into (2). and y = 1 into equation (2).

LHS = 7  2  5 114  5  9 RHS = 9

Example
  x  2y  4
Solve the pair of simultaneous equations  by elimination.
7x  5y  9
Answer
First label the equations as
x  2y  4 (1) (1) and (2), so you can refer
to them later
7x  5y  9 (2) 

5x 10y  20 5  (1)  (3) Multiply equation (1) by 5 and

 14x 10y  18 2  (2)  (4) equation (2) by 2, so that the
y’s have coefficients of the
Add (3) and (4) to eliminate y. same magnitude in (3) and (4),
then eliminate the y’s
5x 10y  (14x 10y)  20 18

19x  38
x2
Substitute x = 2 into (1) Substituting into x = 2
2  2y  4 into (2) would give the
 same final answer.
2y  2
y 1
The solutions are x = 2 and y = 1.
Check by
Check substituting into
 the other equation.
Substitute are x = 2 and y = 1 into (2).
LHS = 7  2  5 114  5  9 .
RHS = 9


Alternative answer
x  2y  4 (1)
Multiply equation (1) by 7 and
7x  5y  9 (2) equation (2) by 1, so that the
x’s have coefficients of the
same magnitude in (3) and (4),
7x 14y  28 7  (1)  (3) then eliminate the x’s
 7x  5y  9 1 (2)  (4)
Subtract (4) from (3) to eliminate x.


 Simultaneous Linear Equations 14

7x 14y  (7x  5y)  28  9

19y  19
y 1
Substituting y = 1 into
Substitute y = 1 into (1) (2) would give the same
final answer.
x2  4

x2
The solutions are x = 2 and y = 1.
Check as
before.

Problems 2
Solve the following pairs of simultaneous equations
(a) 2x  y  12 (b) x  2y  6 (c) 2x  y  4
2x  y  8 x  5y  18 4x  y  10

(d) 2x  y  22 (e) x  3y  8 (f) 3x  4y  7

 3x  2y  5  3x  y  4  2x  5y  3

 
3
Linear Inequalities

The inequality y  2x 1 is an example of a linear inequality. The graph of this inequality is the set
of all points in the shaded region below. This can be written as {(x, y) : y  2x 1}.

0 x
–1 1

y < 2x – 1

–1

To graph this linear inequality, we first draw the line y = 2x – 1. This line has the intercepts (0.5, 1)
and (0, –1) and is shown below.

1 • (1, 1)

y = 2x – 1

0 x
–1 1

• (1, y)

–1 • (1, –1)

15
 Linear Inequalities 16

Now look at the vertical line x = 1 on the graph. Begin at the point (1, –1). The x- and y-
coordinates of this point satisfy the inequality y  2x 1 as 1  2 1 1. Now move slowly
upwards along the line x = 1. As you move upwards, the y-coordinate of the point (1, y) will
increase. Eventually you will reach the line y = 2x – 1 at the point (1, 1). The x- and y-coordinates
of this point satisfy the equation y = 2x – 1. Before we reach the line y = 2x – 1, the x- and y-
coordinates of each point on x = 1 satisfied the inequality y  2x 1 (because the value of y has
been increasing as we moved upwards). Now continue moving upwards along line x = 1. The y-
coordinate of the point (1, y) will continue to increase. After you cross over the line y = 2x – 1, you

can see that the x- and y-coordinates of each point on x = 1 will satisfy the inequality y  2x 1.

This shows that all the points on line x = 1 and below y = 2x – 1 satisfy y  2x 1, and that all

points on line x = 1 and above y = 2x – 1, satisfy y  2x 1.

We can repeat this, beginning at any point on any vertical line. Eachwill show that the line y = 2x –

1 divides the plane into 2 regions, and 

that points in the region below the line satisfy y  2x 1 and
all points in the region above satisfy y  2x 1. The line y = 2x – 1 is drawn with a dashed line in
the graph of y  2x 1 to show that the points on the line do not satisfy y  2x 1.


Examples 
 
y y

y >a
x≤a
a
a x x

y y

y = mx + c y = mx + c
y ≥ mx + c

x x

y < mx + c
17 Linear Functions

A straight line divides the coordinate plane into two regions, one below the line and one above it. If
you are not sure which region satisfies a linear inequality, just select a point in one region and check
if it satisfies the inequality.
Example
Sketch the region satisfying 2x  3y  6 . First draw the line which
splits the plane into two
Answer regions, then decide
which region satisfies the
Put y = 0, then 2x  6  x  3. inequality.

Put x = 0, then 3y  6  y  2 .
The intercepts of 2x – 3y = 6 are (3, 0) and (0, –2).

y

Use a dashed line, as
points on the line don’t 2x – 3y =
satisfy the inequality 6 The point (4, 0) is
below the line, and
also satisfies the
inequality, so all points
3 below the line satisfy
x the inequality.

–2
2x – 3y > 6

Example
A person on a certain diet should have less than 300 mg of cholesterol per day. It is known that 1
gm of whole egg contains 6.6 mg of cholesterol and 1 gm of liver contains 3.6 mg of cholesterol.
Find the relationship between the quantities of egg and liver that can be allowed in the diet,
assuming that these are the main sources of cholesterol. Draw a graph showing this relationship.
Answer
(a) The relationship.
If x gm of egg and y gm of liver is eaten, then the amount of cholesterol will be 6.6x + 3.6y. This
has to be less than 300, so the relationship between the quantities of egg and liver allowed in the
diet is 6.6x + 3.6y < 300.
(b) The graph of 6.6x + 3.6y < 300.
300
Put x = 0, then 3.6y  300  y   83.
3.6


 Linear Inequalities 18

300
Put y = 0, then 6.6x  300  x   45 .
6.6
The intercepts are (45, 0) and (0, 83).

y

100
As the amount of eggs 83
and liver can’t be
negative, we must
have x ≥ 0 and y ≥ 0.

0 45 100 x

Example
Solve the simultaneous linear inequalities below graphically.
x  y  2

y  x  1

x  0

y  0

Answer
y

2 x+y=2

(1.5, 0.5)

0 1 2 x

y=x–1
19 Linear Functions

Problems 3
1. Sketch the graphs of the following inequalities.
(a) y> 1–x (b) 2x – y ≤ 4 (c) 3x ≥ y – 6

2. Solve the simultaneous linear inequalities below graphically.

x  y  2

3x  y  3

3(a) A laboratory needs at least 300 beakers of one size and at least 400 beakers of a second size. It
 that the total number of beakers should be less than 1200. Draw a graph showing the
is decided
possible numbers of each kind of beaker.
3(b) Each beaker of the first size needs 45 sq cm of shelf space, and each beaker of the second size
needs 30 sq cm of shelf space. However, there is only 4 sq m of shelf space. Draw a graph showing
the possible numbers of each kind of beaker.
 A
Appendix: Linear Equations

A linear equation is an equation like 2x – 3 = 12. This refresher consists of a series of examples
showing how to solve these equations.

The general principle for solving all linear equations is to rearrange the equation so that the
unknown is on the left hand side and a number is on the right hand side.

Example
Solve x – 3 = 0 Always carry out the same action
on both sides of the equation.
Answer
Add 3 to both sides of the equation:
x3 0
Some of these steps don’t
x  3 3  0  3 need to be written down.
x3

Example

Solve w + 10 = 0
Answer
Subtract 10 from both sides of the equation:
w 10  0
w 10 10  0 10
w  10

Example

Solve 2s + 10 = 0 Rearrange the equation with a
multiple of the unknown on the
Answer LHS, and a number on the RHS.
2s  10  0
2s  10
s  5 Then divide both
sides by 2 to get s
by itself.

20
 Linear Equations Refresher 21

Example
x
Solve 3 0
2
Answer
x
3 0 Multiply both sides by 2 to get
2 x by itself.
x
2  23
2
x6

Example
Solve 3w 10  4w 12  3(1  w)
Answer First expand brackets and
simplify each side.
3w  10  4 w  12  3(1  w)
3w  10  4 w  12  3  3w
3w  10  w  15
Unknowns on the LHS,
3w  10  w  w  15  w numbers on the RHS.
2 w  10  15
2w  5
5
w
2

Example
3
Solve  2.
x 1
Answer
Remove the denominator on the LHS
3
 2 by multiplying both sides by x + 1.
x 1
3
(x 1)   (x 1)  2
x 1
3  2(x 1)
Interchange the LHS and RHS
3  2x  2 to get the unknown on the LHS.
1  2x
2x  1
1
x
2


 Answers 1

C
Appendix: Answers
Section 1.1

(a) y (b) y (c) y

0.5 x 0.5 x 0.5 x

–1 –10 –0.1

(d, e, f) y y = 3x
3
y = 2x
2

1 y=x

0 1 x

(g) f(x) (h) f(x) (i) g(x)

2
1

1 x –0.5 x 2/3 x
–1
 2 Linear Functions
Section 1.2
1 0
1(a) (x1 , y1 )  (1,0), (x2 , y2 )  (0,1)  m  1
0  (1)
20
1(b) (x1 ,y1 )  (1,0), (x 2 , y2 )  (0,2)  m   2
0 1


2. y (x1 ,y1 )  (0,c), (x2 ,y2 )  (1,c)
cc
m 0
(0, c) (1, c) 10
• •

Section 1.3
1(a) 3 and (0, 2) 1(b) –2 and (0, 1) 1(c) 1 and (0, 6) 1(a) –1 and (0, 0)

2. The line has gradient m = –2, so its equation is y  2x  c.

Substitute (2, 3) into the equation of the line.
3 = –2  2 + c

c=7
The equation is y  2x  7 .

3. The line has gradient m = –1, so its equation is y  x  c .

Substitute (–1, 2) into the equation of the line.
2 = –1  –1 + c

c=1
The equation is y  x 1.

y  y 3 (1)
4. The gradient of the line is m  2 1   4.
 x2  x1 2 1
As the line has gradient m  4 , its equation is y  4x  c .
To find c, substitute (1, –1) into the equation of the line.

1  4  c
 
c  5
The equation is y  4x  5 .



 Answers 3
5. The line has gradient m = 2, so its equation is y  2x  c .
Substitute (2, 1) into the equation of the line.
1 2 2c

c  3
The y-intercept is (0, –3), and the equation is y  2x  3 .
Put y = 0 in y  2 x  3  x  3 / 2 , so the x-intercept is (3/2, 0).


y2  y1 2 1
6. The gradient of the line is m    1.
x2  x1 1 (2)
As the line has gradient m  1, its equation is y  x  c .
To find c, substitute (-2, 1) into the equation of the line.

1  (2)  c
 
c  1
The y-intercept is (0, –1), and the equation is y  x 1 .
Put y = 0 in y  x 1  x  1 , so the x-intercept is (–1, 0).
1 1
7. The gradient of the line is m   and the y-intercept is (0, –4). The equation is y   x  4 .
2 2

Section 2
 
These questions can be answered in more than one way.
(a) 2x  y  12 (1) (b) x  2y  6 (1)
2x  y  8 (2) x  5y  18 (2)
Solve equation (1) for y Solve equation (1) for x
y 12  2x x  6 - 2y
 
Substitute y into equation (2) Substitute y into equation (2)
 2x  (12 - 2x)  8  6 - 2y  5y  18
4x 12  8 3y  12
x5 y4
Substitute x = 5 into (1). Substitute x = 4 into (1).
10  y  12 x8 6
 
y2 x  2
The solutions are x = 5 and y = 2. The solutions are x = –2 and y = 4.

 
 4 Linear Functions

(c) 2x  y  4 (1) (d) 2x  y  22 (1)

4x  y  10 (2) 3x  2y  5 (2)
Solve equation (1) for y
y  2x  4 4x  2y  44 2  (1)  (3)
 3x  2y  5 (2)  (4)
Substitute y into equation (2) Add (3) and (4) to eliminate y.
 4x  (2x  4)  10
4x  2y  (3x  2y)  44  5
2x  4  10 
7x  49
x3
x7
Substitute x = 3 into (1).
Substitute x = 7 into (1)
12  y  10
 14  y  22
y2 
y8
The solutions are x = 3 and y = 2.
The solutions are x = 7 and y = 8.



(e) x  3y  8 (1) (f) 3x  4y  7 (1)

3x  y  4 (2) 2x  5y  3 (2)

x  3y  8 (1)  (3) 6x  8y  14 2  (1)  (3)

9x  3y  12 3 (2)  (4) 6x 15y  9 3 (2)  (4)
Add (3) and (4) to eliminate y. Subtract (3) from (4) to eliminate x.
x  3y  (9x  3y)  8 12 6x 15y  (6x  8y)  9 14
 
10x  20 23y  23
x2 y  1
Substitute x = 2 into (1) Substitute y = -1 into (1)
2  3y  8 3x  4  (1)  7
 
y2 3x  4  7
The solutions are x = 2 and y = 2. x 1
The solutions are x = 1 and y = -1.


 Answers 5
Section 3

1(a) y 1(b) y 1(c) y

6
1

1 x 2 x –2 x

–4

2. y

2 x

3(a) If the laboratory obtained x beakers of the first size and y beakers of the second size, then
we should have x ≥ 300, y ≥ 400 and x + y ≤ 1200. The shaded area below shows the graph of
these inequalities.
y
x = 300

1200

y = 400
x + y = 1200

0 1200 x
6 Linear Functions

3(b) If shelf space is taken into account, then we need to have 45x + 30y ≤ 40 000. This
additional inequality is included in the graph below.

y
x = 300
1333
1200

y = 400
x + y = 1200
45x + 30y = 40000
0 1200 x
889