Algebra 1-Standard Form for Linear Equations

[Mimiru14]

I really don't get this al all. Both my book and my teacher confused me even more. I get how to write the formula,but that's about it.Can somebody
please explain this to me?

[Puritan]

I assume you mean a*x+b*y=c (where * is the multipication symbol), which is the standard form for linear equations. a, b, and c are numbers which allow you to solve the equation. Let me give you an example. In this example a=1, b=2, and c=5. The standard form for linear equations now looks like this:

1*x+2*y=5

This means that the numbers you plug in for x and y have to cause this equation to equal 5. For example, y=2 and x=1 are a single solution for this equation because

1*x+2*y=1*1+2*2=1+4=5

Other solutions are: x=5 and y=0, x=0 and y=2.5, x=3 and y=1, and so on.

I would be happy to try to help you more if you have any questions. Just feel free to ask.

[Slater]

picture linear equations like this... bx + c = 0 ---> x = -c/b

Thus, a question like 3x + 6 = 0 would have b = 3, c = 6. So, x = -c/b ---> x = -2

It's not too hard. If you need a checking system, I wrote a program that can do these kinds of problems for you. Still, you should figure out how to do them on your own as they are extremely important for everything in math.

[Technomancer]

It sometimes helps to think in terms of the slope and the intercepts for this type of equation. For example, if your equation is:
ax+by=c
then y=(c-ax)/b
y=-(a/b)x+c/b

the slope (or steepness) of the plot is -(a/b), and the y-intercept (the point where the equation intersects the y-axis) is equal to c/b. The x-intercept can be solved for in a similar manner.