How many solutions can a single variable linear equation contain?

Select all that apply.

two solutions
one solution
no solution
infinite number of solutions

1 answer

A single variable linear equation can contain:

  • one solution: This occurs when the equation represents a line that intersects the x-axis at a single point.
  • no solution: This occurs when the equation represents a contradiction (for example, \(x = 3\) and \(x = 5\) simultaneously).
  • infinite number of solutions: This occurs when the equation simplifies to a tautology (for example, \(0 = 0\) after simplification).

However, a single variable linear equation cannot contain two solutions because a linear equation in one variable represents a straight line, which can intersect a point at most once.

So the correct selections are:

  • one solution
  • no solution
  • infinite number of solutions