Linear Mathematics & Matrices, pt.

1
Dr. H. Schellinx

Linear equations

A bit of terminology

In order to be able to apply mathematical techniques to problem solving we need to
translate problems into mathematical language, which uses algebraic expressions.

An algebraic expression is a combination of variables and numbers by means of the usual
algebraic operations of addition, multiplication, exponentiation and their inverses.
Variables (also called the unknowns) are letters (like x or y or t or v) that represent
some unknown quantity.
Addition symbols chop algebraic expressions into parts that we call terms.

" 7%
7
( = a + b + $ ' ) is an algebraic expression. It is a combination
# x&
x
7
of three terms: a , b and . The variables are a, b and x.
x
Example - a + b

A term without variables is called a constant.

Two algebraic expressions that are joined by an equality sign (=) form an (algebraic)
equation.

2
Example - t +

v
= z 2 is an equation. It consists of the two algebraic expressions
3

v
t 2 + and z 2 . The algebraic expression to the left of the equality sign is a term,
3
v
which is the square root of yet another algebraic expression ( t 2 + ), which in turn is a
3
v
combination of the terms t 2 and . The algebraic expression to the right of the equality
3
sign is a combination of the terms z and 2. The second of these terms, 2, is a constant.

Linear equations

A linear equation is an algebraic equation in which each term is either a

constant (a number like 3, or 6.7, or , or !! , or , or 7, or etc. ) or the
product of a number and (the first power of) a single variable (like 5x, or
!
1020z, or a, or ! , or 177, or etc. .)

Linear Mathematics & Matrices, pt.1

Dr. H. Schellinx

Example - The following are examples of linear equations:

3x + 5y + z = 6

7
7x + y = z
2
x 7 + 29y = 17

The following are examples of algebraic equations that are not linear equations:

9 = x 2 + y 2
19 x.y = 123

y = 17 2x + w


Exercise 1 - Explain why the first three examples are linear equations, and why the last
three examples are not. For each of the equations, indicate which are the constants.

A solution of an algebraic equation consists in a series of numbers that, when substituted
for the variables in the equation, give rise to a true statement: the result of the
substitution is an identity. To solve an equation means: find all possible solutions, i.e.
find all the numbers that, when substituted for the variables in the equation, give rise to
a true statement.

Example - The ordered pair or tuple (x,y) = (1,1) [i.e. the numbers x = 1 and y = 1] is a
solution of the linear equation x + 4y = 5. But it is not the only solution. For example, also
the tuples (5,0) and (0, 1.25) are solutions.


Exercise 2 - Can you find all solutions (we will often say: the solution) of the linear equation
x + 4y = 5?

Exercise 3 - For the following algebraic expressions: find the terms, the variables and the
constants. If the expression is an equation, is it a linear equation? If it is not, explain why.
Can you solve the equations?

a. 33 + 42

1
z2
x + + 7
10
16
3
c. a + = 1
b
d. 8p + sin( ) = 0
b.

e. a b

f. 3! = + 1

cos(x) 3y =

g.

Exercise 4 - Is ( x 1)

t
2

= 4 a linear equation? Can you solve it?

Linear Mathematics & Matrices, pt.1

Dr. H. Schellinx

A linear equation with n different variables, say x1, x2 , x3,..., xn , can always be written
in the form a1 x1 + a2 x2 + a3 x3 +... + an xn = c , where the ai are numbers; they are called
the coefficients of the equation. Also c is a number. It is the constant of the equation.
A linear equation of the form a1 x1 + a2 x2 + a3 x3 +... + an xn = c is said to be in standard
form.

Fact: Every linear equation can be transformed into an equivalent

equation in standard form.

Example - The equation 7x 8 + 2y + 3z = y + x 2 is a linear equation with 3
unknowns (x, y and z), but it is not in standard form. We transform it step by step, into
an equivalent equation that is in standard form, as follows:




7x 8 + 2y + 3z = y + x 2



(7x x) 8 + 2y + 3z = y 2



(7x x) 8 + (2y y) + 3z = 2



(7x x) + (2y y) + 3z = 2 + 8



6x + y + 3z = 6
5x 3y = z + w 6 is a linear equation with 4 unknowns (x,y,w and z). It has the
equivalent standard form 5x 3y w z = 6 .

3y = y + 2x 7 is a linear equation with 2 unknowns (x and y). It has the equivalent

standard form 2x + 4y = 7 .
NB.: We will always put the unknowns in a standard form in alphabetical order, and, for
example, not write b + 2a = 14, but: 2a + b = 14.


Exercise 5 - Write each of the following linear equations in standard form. Then solve the
equations.

a. 3(b + 2) 2 = (5 + b) + b



b. 8x + 3(2 x) = 5x + 6


c.

3
4
x + 0.7 = x
5
5

d. 2x 6 = 2x + 4(x 2)

e. 0.06(a + 200) + 0.1a = 172

Exercise 6 - Translate the following problem into mathematical language, by writing it as
two linear equations with two unknowns, c and t. Such a pair of equations is also called a
system of linear equations. Can you solve this system?
A student has a car loan (c) charging 0.75% interest per month and a tuition loan (t)
charging 0.5% interest per month. How much does she owe on each account if she pays a
total of 395.50 monthly interest on a total debt of 62,200?

Linear Mathematics & Matrices, pt.1

Dr. H. Schellinx

Linear equations with one unknown

Linear equations with only one variable are the simplest ones. We can always write such
an equation in the standard form ax = b . Here x is the only variable (the unknown). The
coefficient a and the constant b are both numbers.

1. If a 0 , the equation has precisely one solution: x =

b
.
a

2. If a = 0 and b 0 , the equation has no solution. It is a contradiction.

3. If a = 0 and b = 0 , all real numbers satisfy the equation. It is an identity.

Recall that the root or zero of a function f(x) is a member x of the domain of f such that
f(x) = 0 (we say that f(x) vanishes at x).
The solution of the linear equation with one unknown ax = b is the root of the linear
function f (x) = ax b . In the two dimensional Euclidean plane, using a rectangular
coordinate system, the graph of this function is the straight line represented by the
equation y = ax b .
The coefficient a is the slope of the line. It indicates how steep the line is. If the slope is
positive (a > 0), you will see that the line is going up when you move along the
horizontal (x-)axis from the left to the right (from West to East). If the slope is negative
(a < 0), you will see the line is going down when you move along the x-axis from the left
to the right (from West to East).
The constant b is called the lines y-intercept: it tells us where the line crosses the
vertical (y-)axis.
The solution of the equation is the point where the line crosses the x-axis of our
rectangular coordinate system: it is the x-intercept.

As an example, look at the following linear equation with one unknown: 2x = 4 . The
corresponding linear function is f (x) = 2x 4 , which has as its graph the line
y = 2x 4 . The solution of the equation is the zero of the function, i.e. the point where
the line crosses the x-axis: (2,0).

Linear Mathematics & Matrices, pt.1

Dr. H. Schellinx

There are many kinds of often recurring practical problems that are most easily solved
by interpreting them in the form of a linear equation with one unknown. Here are a few
examples. You may remember them from the Intermediate Algebra course:

Problem 1. (Uniform Motion Problem) A cyclist leaves his training base for a morning
workout, riding at the rate of 18 kilometers per hour. One hour later, his support staff
leaves the base in a car, going 45 kilometers per hour in the same direction. How long will
it take the support staff to catch up with the cyclist?
Solution: Suppose that it takes the staff x hours to catch up with the cyclist. As their
cars speed is 45 km/h, the distance travelled by the support staff in x hours equals 45x
kilometres. The cyclist left one hour earlier. When the staffs car catches up with him, he
has travelled a distance of 18(x+1) kilometres. The two distances have to be equal, so
the linear equation that we need to solve is 45x = 18(x +1) , which is equivalent to the
standard form 27x = 18 . We therefore find that the support staff catches up with the
cyclist after 18/27 hours = 2/3 hours = 40 minutes.

Problem 2. (Simple Investment Problem) An investment club invested part of 100.000
at 9% annual interest, and the rest at 8%. If the annual income from these investments was
8.600, how much was invested at 8%?
Solution: Suppose that the investment club invested x euros at 8% annual interest. Then
the club invested 100.000 x euros at 9% annual interest. The linear equation that we
need to solve is 0, 08x + 0, 09(100.000 x) = 8.600 , which is equivalent to the standard
form 0, 01x = 400 . We therefore find that the investment club invested 40.000 at 8%.

Problem 3. (Percent Mixture Problem) A dairy mixes milk with 4% of butterfat and milk
with 1% of butterfat to get milk with 2% of butterfat. How much of the 4% butterfat milk
does the dairy need to mix with how much of the 1% butterfat milk to produce 120 liters of
milk with 2% of butterfat?
Solution: Suppose the dairy needs x liters of 4% butterfat milk to produce 120 liters of
2% butterfat milk. Then it needs 120 x liters of 1% butterfat milk. The amount of
butterfat in the 2% mix has to be equal to the sum of the amounts in the parts: the linear
equation that we need to solve is 0, 04x + 0, 01(120 x) = 0, 02 120 , which is equivalent
to the standard form 0, 03x = 1, 2 . Thus we find that the dairy needs to mix 40 liters of
4% butterfat milk with 80 liters of 1% butterfat milk in order to obtain 120 liters of 2%
butterfat milk.

Exercise 7 What are the y-intercept b and the slope a of the line that connects the two
points (-1, 3) and (2,0)?

Exercise 8 (*) Find expressions for the y-intercept b and the slope a of the line that
connects the two points (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) in terms of the coordinates x1, y1, x2 and y2 of the
two points.