L1 – Solving Linear Systems by GRAPHING Unit 1

MPM2D

__________________________: Two or more linear equations that are considered at the same time.

__________________________: The point where 2 or more lines cross.

To ______________ a linear system means to find the values of the variables that satisfy ALL of the equations
in the system. Graphically speaking, this means you will find the ordered pair (𝑥, 𝑦) where the lines intersect.

There are 3 main methods for solving a linear When solving by graphing, you can graph the lines
system: by:

1) Graphing 1) Using the slope and 𝑦-intercept (rearrange in to

2) Substitution 𝑦 = 𝑚𝑥 + 𝑏 form)
3) Elimination 2) Use the 𝑥 and 𝑦 intercepts of each line
3) Create a table of values for each equation

A linear system could have 1, 0, or infinitely many solutions:

Graph Slopes of Lines Intercepts Number of Solutions

Intersecting

Parallel & Distinct

Parallel & Coincident

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 Steps for Solving a Linear System by GRAPHING

1) Rearrange the equations in to slope 𝑦-intercept form (𝑦 = 𝑚𝑥 + 𝑏)

2) Graph equations and find the point of intersection

3) Verify that the point of intersection satisfies the equation of both lines

4) Clearly communicate your solution

Example 1: Find the point of intersection of the graphs of the following systems of equations.

a) ℓ! : 𝑦 = 𝑥 + 4
ℓ" : 𝑦 = −𝑥 + 2

b) ℓ! : 2𝑥 + 𝑦 = 5
ℓ" : 𝑥 − 2𝑦 = 10

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c) ℓ! : 2𝑥 + 5𝑦 = −20
ℓ" : 5𝑥 − 3𝑦 = −15

d) ℓ! : 𝑦 = 2𝑥 + 3
ℓ" : 𝑦 = 2𝑥 − 4

e) ℓ! : 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 3
ℓ" : 2𝑥 + 2𝑦 = 6

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L2 – Solving Linear Systems by SUBSTITUTION Unit 1
MPM2D

Remember that ______________ a linear system means to find the values of the variables that satisfy ALL of
the equations in the system. Graphically speaking, this means you will find the ordered pair (𝑥, 𝑦) where the
lines intersect.

There are 3 main methods for solving a linear system:

1) Graphing
2) Substitution
3) Elimination

A linear system could have 1, 0, or infinitely many solutions:

Graph Slopes of Intercepts Number of What happens

Lines Solutions algebraically
Intersecting

Parallel & Distinct

Parallel & Coincident

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 Steps for Solving by Substitution:

1) Rearrange either equation to isolate a variable (𝑥 or 𝑦)

2) Substitute what the isolated variable is equal to into the OTHER equation
3) Solve the new equation for the variable
4) Plug your answer back in to EITHER original equation to solve for the OTHER variable.
5) Check your answer in BOTH equations

Example 1: Solve the following systems using the method of substitution

a) ℓ! : 𝑥 + 4𝑦 = 6
ℓ" : 2𝑥 − 3𝑦 = 1

b) ℓ! : 5𝑥 − 3𝑦 − 2 = 0
ℓ" : 7𝑥 + 𝑦 = 0

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c) ℓ! : 2𝑥 + 2𝑦 = 7
ℓ" : 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 6

d) ℓ! : 3𝑥 + 4𝑦 = 2
ℓ" : 9𝑥 + 12𝑦 = 6

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L3 – Solving Linear Systems by ELMINATION Unit 1
MCV4U

Remember that _________________ a linear system means to find the values of the variables that satisfy ALL
of the equations in the system. Graphically speaking, this means you will find the ordered pair (𝑥, 𝑦) where
the lines intersect.

There are 3 main methods for solving a linear system:

1) Graphing
2) Substitution
3) Elimination

Steps for Solving by ELIMINATION:

1) Get rid of decimals or fractions if necessary

2) Rewrite the equations with like terms in the same column (𝑥 + 𝑦 = #)
3) Multiply one or both equations by a number so that you have two equations in which the coefficients of
one variable are the same or opposite
4) Add or subtract the equations to eliminate a variable and solve the resulting equation for the remaining
variable
5) Substitute your solution for one of the variables in to either of the original equations to solve for the other
variable
6) Check that the solutions satisfy BOTH of the original equations

Example 1: Solve each of the following linear systems using the method of ELIMINATION

a) ℓ! : 3𝑥 + 2𝑦 = 19
ℓ" : 5𝑥 − 2𝑦 = 5

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b) ℓ! : 𝑥 + 4𝑦 = 6
ℓ" : 2𝑥 − 3𝑦 = 1

c) ℓ! : 3𝑥 + 2𝑦 = 2
ℓ" : 4𝑥 + 5𝑦 = 12

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d) ℓ! : 0.6𝑥 − 0.3𝑦 = 2.4
ℓ" : − 0.4𝑦 + 0.7𝑥 − 2.9 = 0

# $
e) ℓ! : + =4
" %
# $
ℓ" : − = −2
& "

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f) ℓ! : 5𝑥 + 2𝑦 = 2
ℓ" : 10𝑥 + 4𝑦 = −4

Helpful tip:

When coefficients of a variable have opposite signs, ___________ will eliminate them
When coefficients of a variable have the same sign, ____________ will eliminate them

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L4 – Solving Problems Involving Linear Systems Unit 1
MPM2D

Many problems with 2 unknowns can be solved using a system of 2 linear equations. To solve these types of
problems you should:

1) Assign variables to each of the unknowns

2) Write 2 equations showing the relationships between the variables. Each equation should include both
variables.
3) Solve the system of equations using any method (graphing, substitution, elimination)
4) Check your solution
5) Clearly communicate your final answer

Example 1: Find the value of two numbers if their sum is 13 and their difference is 5.

Example 2: The Sports Shop sells Nike running shoes for $82 a pair and Air Jensen basketball shoes for $95 a
pair. One day, the Sports Shop sells 75 pairs of Nike and Air Jensen shoes totaling $6241 in sales. How many
pairs of each shoe were sold?

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Example 3: A blue spruce tree grows an average of 15 cm per year. An eastern hemlock grows an average of
10 cm per year. When they were planted, a blue spruce was 120 cm tall and an eastern hemlock was 180 cm
tall. How many years after planting will the trees reach the same height? How tall will that be?

Example 4: Tia had $10 000 to invest. She invested part of it in a term deposit paying 4% per annum and the
remainder in bonds paying 5% per annum. If the total interest earned after one year was $440, how much did
she invest in each account?

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Example 5: A chemistry teacher needs to make 10L of 42% sulfuric acid solution. The acid solutions available
are 30% sulfuric acid and 50% sulfuric acid, by volume. How many liters of each solution must be mixed to
make the 42% solution?

Example 6: A riverboat took 2 hours to travel 24km, down a river with the current and 3 hours to make the
return trip against the current. Find the speed of the boat in still water and the speed of the current.

Note: Remember:

Speed travelling with current = boat speed + current speed 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 = 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 × 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒
Speed travelling against current = boat speed - current speed

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W1 – Solving Linear Systems by GRAPHING Unit 1
MPM2D

1) Solve each system by graphing.

a) ℓ! : 𝑦 = 2𝑥 + 1
ℓ" : 𝑦 = 𝑥 − 2

b) ℓ! : 𝑥 + 2𝑦 = 2
ℓ" : 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 3

c) ℓ! : 𝑦 = 2𝑥 − 3
ℓ" : 2𝑥 − 𝑦 = 5

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d) ℓ! : 3𝑥 = 𝑦 + 4
ℓ" : 6𝑥 − 2𝑦 − 8 = 0

e) ℓ! : 3𝑥 + 2𝑦 = 3
ℓ" : 2𝑥 + 10𝑦 = −5

f) ℓ! : 2𝑥 + 6𝑦 − 12 = 0
ℓ" : 6𝑥 − 3𝑦 − 15 = 0

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2) Without graphing, determine whether each system has one solution, no solutions, or infinitely many
solutions. Explain.

a) ℓ! : 2𝑥 + 𝑦 = 5 b) ℓ! : 3𝑥 − 𝑦 = 0 c) ℓ! : 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 2
ℓ" : 2𝑥 + 10𝑦 = −5 ℓ" : 6𝑥 − 2𝑦 = 3 ℓ" : 3𝑥 = 6 − 3𝑦

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W2 – Solving Linear Systems by SUBSTITUTION Unit 1
MPM2D

1) Solve each linear system using the method of substitution. Check your answers.

a) ℓ! : 𝑦 = 3𝑥 − 4 b) ℓ! : 𝑥 = −4𝑦 + 5
ℓ" : 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 8 ℓ" : 𝑥 + 2𝑦 = 7

c) ℓ! : 𝑦 = −2𝑥 + 3 d) ℓ! : 2𝑥 + 4𝑦 = 2
ℓ" : 4𝑥 − 3𝑦 = 1 ℓ" : 𝑥 = 1 − 2𝑦

e) ℓ! : 𝑥 + 2𝑦 = 3 f) ℓ! : 6𝑥 + 5𝑦 = 7
ℓ" : 5𝑥 + 4𝑦 = 8 ℓ" : 𝑥 − 𝑦 = 3

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g) ℓ! : 2𝑚 + 𝑛 = 2 h) ℓ! : 3𝑎 + 2𝑏 = 4
ℓ" : 3𝑚 − 2𝑛 = 3 ℓ" : 2𝑎 + 𝑏 = 6

i) ℓ! : 2𝑥 + 𝑦 = 4
ℓ" : 4𝑥 − 𝑦 = 2

2) Find the point of intersection of each pair of lines.

a) ℓ! : 2𝑥 = 𝑦 + 5 b) ℓ! : 4𝑥 + 2𝑦 = 7
ℓ" : 3𝑥 + 𝑦 = −9 ℓ" : −𝑥 − 7𝑦 = 6

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c) ℓ! : 𝑝 + 4𝑞 = 3 d) ℓ! : 𝑎 + 𝑏 + 6 = 0
ℓ" : 5𝑝 = −2𝑞 + 3 ℓ" : 2𝑎 − 𝑏 − 3 = 0

e) ℓ! : 𝑥 − 2𝑦 − 2 = 0
ℓ" : 3𝑥 + 4𝑦 − 16 = 0

3) Samantha works twice as many hours per week as Adriana. Together they work a total of 39 hours in one
week.
a) Write an equation to represent the information in the first sentence.

b) Write an equation to represent the information in the second sentence.

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c) Use the method of substitution to find the number of hours worked by each person.

4) Ugo plays hockey and is awarded 2 points for each goal and 1 point for each assist. Last season he had a
total of 86 points. He scored 17 fewer goals than assists.

a) Write a linear system to represent the information

b) Solve the system

c) What does the solution represent in the context of this question?

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5) Joanne’s family decides to rent a hall for her retirement party. Pin Hall charges $500 for the hall and $15 per
meal. Bloom Place charges $350 for the hall and $18 per meal.

a) Write two equations to represent the information.

b) Solve the linear system to find the number of guests for which the charges are the same at both halls.

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W3 – Solving Linear Systems by ELMINATION Unit 1
MPM2D

1) Solve using the method of elimination

a) ℓ! : 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 2 b) ℓ! : 𝑥 − 𝑦 = −1
ℓ" : 3𝑥 − 𝑦 = 2 ℓ" : 3𝑥 + 𝑦 = −7

c) ℓ! : 3𝑥 + 3𝑦 = 7 d) ℓ! : 5𝑥 + 2𝑦 = −11
ℓ" : 𝑥 + 𝑦 = 3 ℓ" : 3𝑥 + 2𝑦 = −9

2) Find the point of intersection of each pair of lines

a) ℓ! : 𝑥 + 2𝑦 = 2 b) ℓ! : 3𝑥 + 5𝑦 = 12
ℓ" : 3𝑥 + 5𝑦 = 4 ℓ" : 2𝑥 − 𝑦 = −5

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c) ℓ! : 3𝑥 + 𝑦 = 13 d) ℓ! : 6𝑥 + 5𝑦 = 12
ℓ" : 2𝑥 + 3𝑦 = 18 ℓ" : 3𝑥 − 4𝑦 = 6

3) Solve by elimination

a) ℓ! : 3𝑥 − 2𝑦 = 5 b) ℓ! : 5𝑚 + 2𝑛 = 5
ℓ" : 2𝑥 + 3𝑦 = 12 ℓ" : 2𝑚 + 3𝑛 = 13

c) ℓ! : 3𝑎 − 4𝑏 = 10 d) ℓ! : 3ℎ − 4𝑘 = 5
ℓ" : 5𝑎 − 12𝑏 = 6 ℓ" : 5ℎ + 3𝑘 = −11

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4) Mehrad works in a department store selling sports equipment. Baseball gloves cost $29 each and bats cost
$14 each. One shift, he sells 28 items. His receipts total $647.

a) How many bats did Mehrab sell?

b) How many gloves did he sell?

5) Maria rented the same car twice in one month. She paid $180 the first time for 3 days and she drove a total
of 150 km. The next time, she also paid $180 and had the vehicle for only 2 days, but travelled 400 km.

a) What was the cost per day?

b) What was the cost per km?

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W4 – Solving Problems Involving Linear Systems Unit 1
MPM2D

1) Leanne works at a greenhouse. She needs to plant a total of 32 bulbs. Two types of bulbs are available. She
is asked to plant three times as many crocus bulbs as tulip bulbs. How many of each should she plant?

2) James looks in his TV cabinet and finds some old Beta and VHS tapes. He has 17 tapes in all. He finds that he
has three more Beta tapes than VHS tapes. How many of each type does he have?

3) The girls’ soccer team held a fundraising car wash. They charged $5 for each car and $8 for each van. They
washed 44 cars and vans and collected $262. How many of each type of vehicle did they wash?

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4) Rehman invests his summer earnings of $3050. He invests part of the money at 8% per year, and the rest at
7.5% per year. After 1 year, these investments earn $242 in simple interest. How much did he invest at each
rate?

5) To join Karate Klub, David must pay a monthly fee of $25 and an initial fee of $200. If he chooses Kool
Karate, he must pay an initial fee of only $100 but $35 per month.

a) After how many months is the cost the same at either karate club?

b) If David plans to try karate for 6 months, which club should he join?

c) If David decides to do karate for a year, which club should he join?

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6) White vinegar is a solution of acetic acid in water. There are two strengths of white vinegar, a 5% solution
and a 10% solution. How many ml of each solution must be mixed to make 50 ml of a 9% vinegar solution?

7) It took a patrol boat 5 hours to travel 60 km up a river against the current, and 3 hours for the return trip
with the current. Find the speed of the boat in still water and the speed of the current.

8) Kareem took 5 hours to drive 470 km from Sudbury to Brantford. For part of the trip, he drove at 100 km/h.
For the rest of the trip, he drove at 90 km/h. How far did he drive at each speed?

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Unit 1 Pretest Review Unit 1
MPM2
D

1) Solve each linear system by graphing.

a) ℓ! : 𝑦 = 4𝑥 − 5
"
ℓ" : 𝑦 = 𝑥 + 5
#

b) ℓ! : 3𝑥 + 𝑦 = 1
ℓ" : 𝑥 + 4𝑦 = 4

c) ℓ! : 𝑦 = −2𝑥 + 5
!
ℓ" : 𝑦 = " 𝑥 − 5

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2) What are the different possibilities for the number of solutions to a linear system. Explain each scenario.

3) Solve each linear system using the method of substitution.

a) ℓ! : 𝑦 = 2𝑥 + 4 b) ℓ! : 2𝑥 = 7 − 𝑦
ℓ" : 𝑥 − 4𝑦 = −9 ℓ" : 3𝑥 − 2𝑦 = 21

c) ℓ! : 3𝑚 + 9𝑛 = 1 d) ℓ! : 2𝑥 − 3𝑦 = 6
ℓ" : 𝑚 + 3𝑛 = 2 ℓ" : 2𝑥 − 𝑦 = 7

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e) ℓ! : 3𝑥 − 8 = −2𝑦 f) ℓ! : 2𝑥 = 6 − 𝑦
ℓ" : 2𝑥 + 3𝑦 = 7 ℓ" : 3𝑥 − 2𝑦 = 2

4) Solve each linear system using the method of elimination.

a) ℓ! : 𝑥 − 𝑦 = 14 b) ℓ! : 9𝑥 − 3𝑦 = 15
ℓ" : 2𝑥 + 5𝑦 = −7 ℓ" : 3𝑥 − 𝑦 = 5

c) ℓ! : 3𝑥 + 4𝑦 = 17 d) ℓ! : 2𝑥 + 5𝑦 = 18
ℓ" : 7𝑥 − 2𝑦 = 17 ℓ" : 3𝑥 + 5𝑦 − 17 = 0

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e) ℓ! : 3𝑥 = 34 − 2𝑦 f) ℓ! : 5𝑥 + 2𝑦 = 5
ℓ" : 5𝑥 − 3𝑦 = −13 ℓ" : 2𝑥 + 3𝑦 = 13

5) Petr has $5000 invested in two plans. One plan pays 5% simple interest per year and the other pays 8%. At
the end of the year, Petr receives a total of $340 in interest. How much did he invest in each plan?

6) A physics contest has 30 multiple choice questions. A correct answer gains 4 points, while a wrong answer
loses 1 point. Rolly answered every question and scored 55 points. How many questions did he answer
correctly?

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7) One lawn fertilizer is 24% nitrogen, and another is 12% nitrogen. How much of each fertilizer should be
mixed to obtain 100 kg of fertilizer that is 21% nitrogen?

8) A small plane took 3 hours to fly 960 km from Ottawa to Halifax with a tail wind. On the return trip, flying
into the wind, the plane took 4 hours. Find the wind speed and the speed of the plane in still air.

9) The Outdoors Club held a car wash to raise money. They washed cars for $5 each and vans for $7 each.
They washed 45 vehicles and earned $243. How many of each type of vehicle did they wash?

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