EQUATIONS

Equations are widely classified into two areas. They are:

1. SIMPLE EQUATIONS
2. SPECIAL EQUATIONS

SIMPLE EQUATION:

A mathematical equation which represents the relationship of two expressions on either side of the
sign. It mostly has one variable and equal to symbol. Example: 3x – 4 = 2. In the given example, x is a
variable.

Let us assume a situation, in which you go to the market to buy apples in a supermarket. Your
mother gave you Rs.200 and said that you can keep Rs.80 for buying chocolates and for the
remaining amount, you need to buy apples. When you went to the market, you found out that the
price of one kg of apples was Rs.24. So, the final question is how much apples you should buy, so
that everyone is satisfied.
Let us assume that you have to purchased x kg of apples, so the total amount of money that you will
be spent on buying apples will be Rs.24x. Now, you have Rs.80 for yourself, so you have an equation:
24 x + 80 = 200
24x = 200 – 80
24x = 120
x = 120/24 = 5.

Linear equations in two variables:

An equations of the form ax + by +c= 0, where a, b, c ⊂R and a≠0 , b≠0 and x ,y are variables, is called
a linear equation in two variables.
Solution: Any pair of values of x and y which satisfy the equation ax + by + c =0, is called its solution.

Consistent and inconsistent system of linear Equations

A system consisting of two simultaneous linear equations is said to be:

 Consistent, if it has at least one solution.
 Inconsistent, if it has no solution.

Conditions for Solvability

The system of equation a1x+ b1y+c1=0, a2x + b2y+ c2= 0 has

 A unique solution , if a1/a2 ≠ b1/b2 ;
 An infinite number of solutions, if a1/a2 = b1/b2= c1/c2;
 No solution , if a1/a2 = b1/b2≠ c1/c2;

Homogeneous system of equations

The system of equations a1x+ b1y= 0; a2x+ b2y = 0 has

 Only solution x= 0 , y= 0 when a1/a2 ≠ b1/b2;
 An infinite number of solutions when a1/a2 = b1/b2
Q 1 - If 8x+5y = 9 and 3x+2y= 4, what is y?
The given equations are:
8x+5y = 9 ...(a)
3x+2y = 4 ...(b)
On multiplying (a) by 2, (b) by 5 and subtracting, we get: x= -2
Putting x = -2 in (b), we get:
-6 + 2y = 4 => 2y = 10 ∴ y = 5
Q 2 - If 5/x+ 6y =13 and 3/x+4 = 7, Find the value of y.
The given equation is:
5/x +6y = 13 ...(a)
3/x+4y =7 ...(b)
On multiplying (a) by 3, (b) by 5 and subtracting, we get:
-2y = 4 ∴ y = -2
Q 3 - Given (x+y-8)/2 = (x+2y-14)/3 = (3x+y-12)/11. Then x,y are
Taking first two parts, we get:
(x+y-8)/2 = (x+2y-14)/3
=> 3 (x+y-8) = 2(x+ 2y-14)
=> 3x+3y-24 = 2x+4y -28
=> x- y= -4 ...(1)
Taking last two parts, we get:
(x+2y-14)/3 = (3x+y-12)/11
=> 11 (x+2y-14) = 3(3x+y-12)
=> 11x+ 22y - 154 = 9x+3y -36
=> 2x+19y- 118 ...(2)
Multiplying (1) by 2 and subtracting from (2) we get,
21 y = 126
=> y = 6
Putting y = 6 in (1), we get: x= 2
=> x= 2, y= 6
Q 4 - Given 217x +131y= 913 and 131 x+ 217 y= 827. Then x,y are
217x +131y= 913 ...(a)
131 x+ 217 y= 827 ...(b)

It is a special case in which coefficients of x and y in (a) are interchanged in (b)

Adding (a) and (b) , we get : 348(x+y)= 1740 => x+y = 5 ...(a)
Subtracting (b) from (a), we get: 86(x-y) = 86 => x-y =1 ...(b)
Adding (a) and (b), we get: x= 3, y= 2
Q 5 - For what value of h, the system of equations,hx-y-2=0 and 6x-2y-3=0 has a unique
solution?
For, a unique solution, we must have a1/a<sub2< sub="" style="box-sizing: border-box;"> ≠ b1/b2
h/6 ≠ -1/-2 => h/6 ≠ 1/2 => h = 3
</sub2<>
Q 6 - For what value of h, the system of equations, x+2y+7 = 0 and 2x+hy+14= 0 have an
infinite number of solutions?
For infinite solutions, we have a1/a2 = b1/b2= c1/c2;
h1/2 = 2/h = 7/14 => h=4.
 Q 7 - For what value of h, the system of equations, hx-10y-3= 0 and 3x-5y-7=0 has no
solutions?
Explanation
For no solution, we have a1/a2 = b1/b2 ≠ c1/c1
∴ h/3 = -10/-5 ≠-3/-7 => h = 6

SPECIAL EQUATIONS:

When we have two independent equations in two unknowns or three independent equations in
3 unknowns, we can solve for the variables. These types of equations are called “deterministic
equations”. The variables have a unique value in these equations. However, if we have only one
equation in three unknowns, such equations are called “Indeterminate equations”. The variables
here do not have unique values but take more than one value – in general, an infinite number of
values.

If we impose certain other conditions on these variables, then such indeterminate equations also
can yield unique values for the variables. We take such conditions also into account while solving
such equations.

Consider 3x + y =10. This, being one equation in two unknowns, is indeterminate. Suppose we
impose a condition that both x and y are positive integers. With this condition the possibilities are
reduced to finite number:

 x=1, y=7;
 x=2, y=4;
 x=3, y=1

If we further impose the condition that x is greater than y, then there is a unique solution x=3, y=1.
So, even though we have one equation, because of additional conditions, it may have finite or
sometimes even a unique solution. The conditions that we have, could be explicitly mentioned as
above or could be in built into the problem as we see in the following examples.

Examples:

Example 1: Amit purchased a certain number of pencils and a certain number of pens spending Rs.
10 on the whole. If each pencil costs him Rs.3 and each pen Rs. 1, then how many pencils and pens
could he have bought?

Sol: Solving this problem is basically solving the equation 3x+y= 10 where x and y respectively
denote the number of pencils and pens purchased and hence from the context we know that x and y
should be both positive integers and hence this equation has exactly the three solutions as above.

Hence we see that when certain special conditions are imposed on the variables, the indeterminate
equations also can yield a finite number of solutions and sometimes even a unique solution. The
conditions that we normally come across are

 Minimum values of the variables

 Maximum values of the variables
  Variables being positive integers
 Limits on the difference in the values of variables, etc.

Example 2: Suppose we take a date and a month, multiply the date with 12 (which is the number of
months in a year) and the month with 31 (which is the number of days in a month) and add up the
two products. Suppose we are given that the sum is 555 and asked to find out the date and month.

Sol: If we denote the date as D and month as M, we have 12D +31M=555. Here we have only one
equation with two unknowns. This is an indeterminate equation. However, we have the following
additional information.

 D is a positive integer less than or equal to 31

 M is a positive integer less than or equal to 12

To solve this equation and in fact to solve any equation in two variables, we shall

– first, divide the entire equation by the least coefficient

– get all the fractional values on to one side, say left and all the whole values on to the other

– replace the whole of right-hand side by k, where k is an integer

The following is the sequence of steps:

12D + 31M =555

D + 31M/12 = 555/12

D + 2M + 7M/12 =46 + 3/12

(7M – 3)/12 = k

M = 12k+3/7

We now try to find the value of k. As M has to be positive integer the value of k =5, which gives M
=9. Further other values of k are not feasible. Using this we now find D which is 23. Thus, the date is
23rd September. Here we get a unique solution for the equation.

Example 3: Nakul bought two varieties of pens, the first variety costing Rs.12 each and the second
variety costing Rs.17 each, spending Rs.157 in total. In how many different combinations he could
have purchased the pens?

Sol: Let x be the number of pens of first variety while y is the number of second variety then 12x +
17y = 157

Proceeding as above,

x + y + 5y/12 = 13 + 1/12
k= (5y-1)/12
y= (12k+1)/5

As y is a positive integer the values of k can be k =2, 7, 12 ….

When k is 2, y is 5 and this is the only possible value of y [for, if we consider the next possible value
of k i.e., k=7 then y is 17 which means the amount spent on second variety is 17 *17 which is much
more than the total amount spent]

As there is a unique value possible for y, it means that he can buy these pens in exactly one way.

We can write this solution briefly by focusing only on the remainders 12x + 17y =157proceeding as
discussed in the above example. Dividing the equation by 12 we have Rem(5y/12) =1, y can be 5, 17,
29 etc. i.e., values can be obtained by adding (or subtracting) 12 successively and from (A) when y=5
then the x value is 6 and the remaining values of x can be obtained by (subtracting or adding) 17 to 6
successively i.e., (x, y) could be (6,5), (-11, 17), (-28, 29) etc…

As x>0 and y>0 only (6,5) is the acceptable solution.

Example 4: A student purchases gel pens, ball point pens and pencils by spending a total of Rs.28.
Each gel pen, ball point pen and pencil cost Rs.15, Rs.5, and Rs.3 respectively. In how many ways can
he purchase them if he buys at least one of each item?

Sol: Let the number of gel pens, ball point pens, and pencils the student purchased be x, y, and z
respectively

Total amount spent is 15x + 5y +3z = 28

As x>0, therefore the value of x could be only 1 (making x=2 will make the total 30 however, the
total amount spent is 28 which is less than 30)

Therefore, y=2 and z=1.

Hence only one combination is possible. Ans: (1)