What does it mean for a point to be a solution to a linear equation?

For example, if I say, "2,5
is a solution to the equation y=2x+3
," how could you check my claim?

1 answer

A point is a solution to a linear equation if, when the coordinates of that point are substituted into the equation, both sides of the equation are equal. In other words, a point \((x, y)\) satisfies the equation if it makes the equation true.

In the example you provided, the point is \((2, 5)\) and the equation is \(y = 2x + 3\). To check if \((2, 5)\) is a solution to this equation, you can follow these steps:

  1. Substitute the \(x\) value of the point into the equation:
    \(y = 2(2) + 3\)

  2. Calculate the right-hand side: \[ y = 4 + 3 = 7 \]

  3. Compare this result to the \(y\) value of the point \((2, 5)\), which is \(5\).

Since \(7\) is not equal to \(5\), the point \((2, 5)\) is not a solution to the equation \(y = 2x + 3\).

If the calculation had resulted in \(y = 5\), then \((2, 5)\) would be a solution to the equation.