pg491 [R] G1 5-36058 / HCG / Cannon & Elich rps/clb 11-13-95 QCx

9.1 Systems of Linear Equations; Gaussian Elimination 491

TECHNOLOGY TIP r Limitations and power

Always remember, when using technology to solve systems of equations or

inequalities, because of inherent, unavoidable complexities,
technology will sometimes give misleading, incorrect answers.
Nonetheless,
technology will enable us to get answers that would be impossible to obtain
in any other way.

9.1 SYSTEMS OF LINEAR EQUATIONS;

GAUSSIAN ELIMINATION
Mathematics is effective precisely because a relatively compact mathematical
scheme can be used to predict over a relatively long period of time the future
behavior of some physical system to a certain level of accuracy, and thereby
generate more information about the system than is contained in the
mathematical scheme to begin with.
P. W. C. Davies

Our focus in this section is linear equations in several variables, such as

3x 2 4y 1 2z 1 w 5 5 and 23s 1 2t 5 1.
The following equations are not linear:
I also engaged in wild x2 2 y 5 4 Not linear in x
mathematical discussions,
formulating vast and new x 1 3 _y_ 2 z 5 7 Not linear in y
projects, new problems,
theories and methods uv 1 ln w 5 0 Not linear in u, v, or w
bordering on the
fantastic . . . . For a system of linear equations, we indicate both the number of equations and the
Stan Ulam number of variables. A 2 3 2 system consists of two equations in two variables, and
a 3 3 3 system has three equations in three variables:

H 23x 1 4y 5 11
2x 2 3y 5 28
(2)

2a 2 5b 1 3c 5 8

5 a 1 5b 2 c 5 4
3a 1 2c 5 12
(3)

A solution to a system of linear equations consists of a value for each variable

such that when we substitute these values, every equation becomes a true state-
ment. For system (2) above, the values x 5 21, and y 5 2 satisfy both equations
in the system. A solution to system (3) can be written ~a, b, c! 5
~6, 21, 23!, which means that a 5 6, b 5 21, and c 5 23. The ordered pair of
numbers ~21, 2! is the only solution to system ~2!, but ~8, 22, 26! is one of many
solutions to system ~3!.
pg492 [V] G2 5-36058 / HCG / Cannon & Elich rps/clb 11-13-95 QCx

492 Chapter 9 Systems of Equations and Inequalities

Equivalent Systems

We need a systematic procedure to find all solutions to a system of equations. There

are several methods, some of which you may have seen in previous courses. We will
describe a technique that replaces a system of equations in turn by other, simpler
systems with the same solutions until we get a system simple enough that we can
read off the solution. For example, consider these 3 3 3 systems:
2 1 5 24

5
2x 5y 3z
x 2 2y 2 3z 5 3 (4)
23x 1 4y 1 2z 5 24
2 1 5 24

5
2x 5y 3z
y 2 9z 5 10 (5)
2z 5 1
It is simple to solve system ~5! by starting with the last equation to get z 5 21.
Substitute into the second equation and find y 5 1, and then substitute both y and
z values into the first equation to get x 5 2. In fact, it is easy to see that ~x, y, z! 5
~2, 1, 21! is the only solution for system ~5!. In Example 1 we will show that the
two systems have the same solution, and hence that our solution for system ~5! is
the solution for system ~4!. Two systems of linear equations are equivalent if they
have identical solutions.
In the process of going from system ~4! to system ~5!, we successively eliminate
variables. So x has been eliminated from the second equation in system ~5!, and
both x and y have been eliminated in the third equation. System ~5! is called an
echelon, or upper triangular, form of system ~4!.

Definition: echelon (upper triangular) form

A system of three linear equations in variables x, y, z is said to be in echelon
form if it can be written as
a1 x 1 a2 y 1 a3 z 5 d1
b2 y 1 b3 z 5 d2
c3 z 5 d3
where the coefficients a, b, c, and d are given numbers, some of which may
be zero.

Elementary Operations and Gaussian Elimination

The systematic elimination of variables to change a system of linear equations into

an equivalent system in echelon form from which we can read the solution is called
Gaussian elimination in honor of Carl Friedrich Gauss, one of the most brilliant
mathematicians of all time.
The key to Gaussian elimination (which can be done efficiently on computers)
is the idea of elementary operation, the replacement of one equation in a system
by another in a way that leaves the solution unchanged. Each of the following
operations gives an equivalent system, that has the same solution set. Ek denotes the
kth equation of the system and 22E1 1 E2 is what we get when we multiply both
sides of equation E1 by 22 and add the result to equation E2 .
pg493 [R] G1 5-36058 / HCG / Cannon & Elich cr 11-30-95 MP1

9.1 Systems of Linear Equations; Gaussian Elimination 493

Elementary operations and equivalent systems

Operation Notation and Meaning
1. Interchange two equations E2 ↔ E3 means interchange equations
E2 and E3 .
2. Multiply by a nonzero constant 4E3 A E3 means replace equation E3
with 4E3 .
3. Add a multiple of one equation 4E2 1 E3 A E3 means replace E3 with
to another equation 4E2 1 E3 .
Performing any of the elementary operations on a system of linear equations
gives an equivalent system.

Follow the next example closely, performing each operation as indicated, to be

certain that you understand both the process by which we reduce the original
system to echelon form and the notation by which we keep track of and check each
step.

cEXAMPLE 1 Echelon form Reduce the following system to echelon form

and then find the solution.
E1 2x 2 5y 1 3z 5 24
E2 x 2 2y 2 3z 5 3
E3 23x 1 4y 1 2z 5 24
Solution
Follow the strategy. We will not repeatedly write the equation numbers, simply
Strategy: Since the
coefficient of x in E2 is 1, assuming in each system that the equations are numbered E1 , E2 , and E3 , from top
first interchange E1 and E2 , to bottom. Beginning with the given system, we perform elementary operations as
then eliminate x from the indicated:
x 2 2y 2 3z 5 3

5
other two equations without
involving fractions. E1 ↔ E2 2x 2 5y 1 3z 5 24
23x 1 4y 1 2z 5 24

x 2 2y 2 3z 5

5
3
22E1 1 E2 A E2
2y 1 9z 5 210
3E1 1 E3 A E3 22y 2 7z 5 5
x 2 2y 2 3z 5

5
3
~22!E2 1 E3 A E3 2y 1 9z 5 210
225z 5 25
We now have a system in echelon form that is equivalent to the given system.
To solve the echelon-form system, start with the last equation and solve for z:
z 5 225
25
5 21. Substitute 21 for z into E2 and solve for y: 2y 1 9~21! 5 210,
or y 5 1. Substitute 21 for z and 1 for y into E1 and solve for x: x 2 2~1! 2
3~21! 5 3, or x 5 2. The solution is given by x 5 2, y 5 1, z 5 21. b

The process of solving a system of equations in echelon form has the name
back-substitution. This suggests the procedure of starting at the bottom and
working toward the top, substituting into each successive equation.
pg494 [V] G2 5-36058 / HCG / Cannon & Elich cr 11-30-95 MP1

494 Chapter 9 Systems of Equations and Inequalities

cEXAMPLE 2 Eliminate x Use elementary operations to get an equivalent

system, eliminating the x-variable from E2 and E3 .
2x 2 3y 1 z 5 21
23x 1 4y 2 z 5 2
2x 2 y 1 2z 5 23
Strategy: We can easily use Solution
E1 to eliminate x in E3 , but
to avoid fractions for E2 , first Carry out the elementary operations suggested in the strategy:
2x 2 3y 1 z 5 21

5
multiply E2 by 2, then add
3E1 to eliminate x.
~21!E1 1 E3 A E3 23x 1 4y 2 z 5 2
2y 1 z 5 22
2x 2 3y 1 z 5 21
2E2 A E2
526x 1 8y 2 2z 5 4
2y 1 z 5 22
2x 2 3y 1 z 5 21
3E1 1 E2 A E2
5 2y 1 z 5 1
2y 1 z 5 22
Complete the solution and verify that z 5 0, y 5 21, and x 5 22. b
cEXAMPLE 3 Gaussian elimination Solve the system by using Gaussian
elimination.
x 1 2y 2 2z 5 3
(a)
5 2x 1 3y 2 3z 5 1
24x 2 5y 1 5z 5 3
x 1 2y 2 2z 5 3
(b)
5 2x 1 3y 2 3z 5 1
24x 2 5y 1 5z 5 5
Solution
(a) The following elementary operations lead to an echelon form, from which we
find x, y, and z. x 1 2y 2 2z 5 3
~22!E1 1 E2 A E2
5 2y 1 z 5 25
24x 2 5y 1 5z 5 3
x 1 2y 2 2z 5 3
4E1 1 E3 A E3
5 2y 1 z 5 25
3y 2 3z 5 15
x 1 2y 2 2z 5 23
3E2 1 E3 A E3
5 2y 1 z 5 25
0·z50
We now have an echelon form system in which E3 , 0 · z 5 0, is satisfied by
any number z. Therefore, we have infinitely many solutions. Let z 5 t, where
t is any number. E2 implies y 5 z 1 5 5 t 1 5. Finally, we get x from E1 .
x 5 3 2 2y 1 2z 5 3 2 2~t 1 5! 1 2t 5 3 2 2t 2 10 1 2t 5 27.
pg495 [R] G1 5-36058 / HCG / Cannon & Elich rps/clb 11-13-95 QCx

9.1 Systems of Linear Equations; Gaussian Elimination 495

y Infinitely many solutions are given by

– 3x + y = 5 x 5 27, y 5 t 1 5, z 5 t,
where t is any number. For instance,
t 5 0 gives x 5 27, y 5 5, z 5 0
(– 1, 2) 2x – 3y = – 8
t 5 23 gives x 5 27, y 5 2, z 5 23.
x (b) Note that the system of equations given here is the same as that in part (a)
except for the right side of E3 . The same elementary operations performed in
the solution to Example 3a yield the following echelon form for the system.
x 1 2y 2 2z 5 3
(a) Unique solution
2y 1 z 5 25
y 0·z52
Since no number z satisfies the equation 0 · z 5 2, the system has no solu-
– 3x + 6y = 5 tion. b

A system of linear equations that has infinitely many solutions is said to be

dependent, while a system with no solutions is called inconsistent. The system in
x Example 3a is dependent and that in 3b is inconsistent. Another advantage of
4
echelon form is that the last equation tells us the nature of the solutions, which must
–2 x – 2y = 4
be one of the following possibilities.
Nature of solutions for a system of linear equations
(b) Inconsistent system
1. There is exactly one solution; the solution is unique.
y 2. There are no solutions; the system is inconsistent.
3. There are infinitely many solutions; the system is dependent.

The next example illustrates the three possibilities for 2 3 2 systems. It shows
geometrically a unique solution, a dependent system, and an inconsistent system.
– 3x + 6y = 15
x – 2y = – 5 cEXAMPLE 4 Solutions and graphs Graph the pair of equations on the
–5
x same coordinate system, then solve the system.
L
(a) H
23x 1 y 5 5
2x 2 3y 5 28

(c) Dependent system (b) H

23x 1 6y 5 5
x 2 2y 5 4
FIGURE 3
(c) H
23x 1 6y 5 15
x 2 2y 5 25
Solution
The graphs are shown in Figure 3. Use Gaussian elimination to verify the following
solutions.
(a) Unique solution; x 5 21, y 5 2. The two lines intersect at (21, 2).
(b) No solution; the system is inconsistent. The two lines are parallel; they have no
intersection.
(c) Infinitely many solutions; the system is dependent. Both equations determine
the same line; every point of the line satisfies both equations. b
pg496 [V] G2 5-36058 / HCG / Cannon & Elich rps/clb 11-13-95 QCx

496 Chapter 9 Systems of Equations and Inequalities

A system of any number of linear equations must have either a unique solution,
no solution, or be dependent, just as the 2 3 2 systems in Example 4. Unfortu-
nately, we cannot see the geometry as easily with larger systems as we can with
2 3 2 systems. In the next example we illustrate how linear systems occur in
applications.

cEXAMPLE 5 Mixture problem Dessert consists of chocolate pudding and

whipped cream. We are interested in the energy (calories) and vitamin A content.
The necessary information in the table is taken from a handbook on nutrition.

Energy Vitamin A
Food (calories) (units)
Pudding (1 cup) 385 390
Cream (1 tablespoon) 26 220

How much pudding (in cups) and cream (in tablespoons) will give a dessert with
283 calories and 674 units of vitamin A?

Strategy: To find the Solution

numbers of cups and Follow the strategy. Let x be the number of cups of pudding and y be the number
tablespoons, assign variables of tablespoons of cream.
and write equations for
the number of calories Since each cup of pudding contains 385 calories (see the table), x cups must
(5 283) and units of contain 385x calories. Similarly, y tablespoons of cream contain 26y calories.
vitamin A (5 674). Set the sum of these two equal to 283 calories: 385x 1 26y 5 283. In a similar
manner, to get 674 units of vitamin A, 390x 1 220y 5 674. Therefore, solve the
following system of equations.
E1 : 385x 1 26y 5 283 Calories
E2 : 390x 1 220y 5 674 Vitamin A

To eliminate x from E2 , first multiply E1 by 390 ~390E1 A E1! and E2 by 2385

~2385E2 A E2!. Then add the resulting equations ~E1 1 E2 A E2!. This gives for
the last equation
274,560y 5 2149,120 or y 5 2. Check!

Substitute 2 for y in one of the original equations to get x 5 0.6. Hence 35 cup of
pudding with 2 tablespoons of cream will give the desired proportions of calories
and vitamin A. b

Technology Support for 2 3 2 Systems (Cramer’s Rule)

In one sense, all 2 3 2 systems of linear equations are the same; all can be solved
with exactly the same steps. The results can be summarized in a form that lends
itself to convenient implementation on a graphing calculator. A 2 3 2 system can
be written in the form

H ax 1 by 5 e
cx 1 dy 5 f
pg497 [R] G1 5-36058 / HCG / Cannon & Elich cr 11-30-95 MP1

9.1 Systems of Linear Equations; Gaussian Elimination 497

We can solve the system by eliminating either x or y. To eliminate x, replace E2

by aE2 2 cE1 , getting ~ad 2 bc!y 5 af 2 ce. If we choose to eliminate y, we
replace E1 by dE1 2 bE2 , getting ~ad 2 bc!x 5 de 2 bf. In both cases the
coefficient of the variable is identical, ad 2 bc, and the system has a solution if
ad 2 bc 5 / 0. If ad 2 bc 5 0, then we do not use Cramer’s Rule; the system is
either dependent or inconsistent.
Furthermore, when ad 2 bc is nonzero, we can write down the solution:
de 2 bf af 2 ce
x5 , y5 . (6)
ad 2 bc ad 2 bc
A simple way to remember the form of this solution comes from determinants,
which we will introduce more formally in Section 9.5. At this point, however, since
we have solved the system, we only want a convenient way to keep the result in
mind.
The denominator and both numerators have the same form in solution (6).
Each can be written as a number associated with a 2 by 2 array, called a determi-
nant. The denominator is called the coefficient determinant of the system:

D5 U U
a
c
b
d
a b
5 ad 2 bc; the product H minus the product G .
d c
With this notation, the numerator for each variable is also a determinant, where we
replace the column of coefficients of each variable in D by the column of constants
on the right side:

U U
e b
f d ed 2 bf
U U
a e
c f af 2 ec
x5 5 , y5 5 .
D D D D
The entire process is known as Cramer’s Rule for 2 by 2 linear systems.

Cramer’s rule for 2 by 2 linear systems

Given a system of two linear equations of the form

Hax 1 by 5 e
cx 1 dy 5 f

there is a solution if and only if the number D 5 U U

a
c
b
d
5 ad 2 bc is
nonzero, in which case the solution is given by
ed 2 bf af 2 ec
x5 , y5 ,
D D
where the numerator in each case is the determinant obtained from D by
replacing the coefficients of the variable by the column of constants.

We illustrate in the next example by using Cramer’s Rule for two systems we
have already solved.
pg498 [V] G2 5-36058 / HCG / Cannon & Elich kr 12-1-95 MP2

498 Chapter 9 Systems of Equations and Inequalities

cEXAMPLE 6 Cramer’s rule Use Cramer’s Rule for the systems

(a) H 23x 1 6y 5 5
x 2 2y 5 4
(b) H 385x 1 26y 5 283
390x 1 220y 5 674
Solution
(a) We begin by computing the coefficient determinant D:

D5 U 23 6
1 22
U
5 ~23!~22! 2 ~6!~1! 5 0.

Since D 5 0, Cramer’s Rule does not apply. The system has no solution as we
already saw in Example 4b.
(b) With a calculator we don’t even have to write anything down, simply reading
the values for a, b, c, d from the system. We start with the determinant:
D 5 385 · 220 2 26 · 390, and store 74560, say in memory D. For x,
we replace the column
385
390
F Gby the constant column,
283
674
F G
, so x 5

~283 · 220 2 26 · 674!yD 5 0.6. Similarly, replacing the y-coefficients by the

constant column, y 5 ~385 · 674 2 283 · 390!yD 5 2 . The solution, as we
found in Example 5, is given by x 5 0.6, y 5 2. b

EXERCISES 9.1
Check Your Understanding
Exercises 1–7 True or False. Give reasons.
1. The equation 3x 2 Ï2y 5 5 is linear in x and y. Exercises 8–10 Fill in the blank so that the resulting state-
2. The equation 3Ïx 2 1 4y 5 7 is linear in x and y. ment is true. Lines L 1 , L 2 , and L 3 are given by L 1 :
x 2 3y 5 0, L 2 : x 1 3y 5 6, L 3 : x 2 9y 5 6.
3. The graphs of 2x 2 3y 5 3 and x 1 y 5 3 intersect in
the first quadrant. 8. Lines L 1 and L 2 intersect at .
4. Both (0, 0, 0) and (23, 2, 1) are solutions to the system 9. Lines L 1 and L 3 intersect at .
x1y1z50 10. Lines L 3 and L 2 intersect at .
y 2 2z 5 0 Develop Mastery
x 2 2y 2 z 5 0 Exercises 1–6 Pairs of Lines Solve the system of equa-
5. The solution to the system tions and graph the pair of lines on the same system of
coordinates. (See Example 4.)
2x 1 y 5 5
1. x1y54 2. 3x 1 y 5 25
x 1 3y 5 24
3x 2 2y 5 23 2x 1 2y 5 4
consists of a pair of positive integers. 3. 3x 1 4y 5 21 4. 3x 2 2y 5 4
6. The system 23x 1 5y 5 22 25x 1 2y 5 8
2x 1 y 5 0 5. 4x 2 2y 5 3 6. 2x 1 4y 5 3
x 2 3y 5 5 22x 1 y 5 5 x 1 2y 5 1.5
is dependent. Exercises 7–36 Linear Systems Solve the system of
equations.
7. In the solution to the following system, x and y are
negative and z is positive. 7. 2x 2 y 1 z 5 6 8. x 1 3y 2 z 5 4
x1y2z5 4 3y 1 2z 5 3 2y 2 3z 5 8
2z 5 3 3z 5 26
y 1 2z 5 0
9. x1y1z51 10. 2x 2 3y 1 z 5 6
3x 1 y 5 5 2x 2 y 2 z 5 5 x 1 2y 1 2z 5 25
2x 1 2y 2 3z 5 24 23x 2 y 2 z 5 6
pg499 [R] G1 5-36058 / HCG / Cannon & Elich cr 11-30-95 MP1

9.1 Systems of Linear Equations; Gaussian Elimination 499

11. 2x 2 y 1 3z 5 1 12. x 1 3y 2 z 5 1 Exercises 43–46 Substitution Solve for x and y. ~Hint:

x 1 y 2 5z 5 2 22x 1 y 1 3z 5 0 First let 1x 5 u and 1y 5 v.!
3x 2 2z 5 3 24x 1 9y 1 7z 5 3
1 1 3 1
3 1 1 43. 1 54 44. 1 5 25
13. 3.1x 2 2.5y 5 13.7 14. x1 y5 x y x y
4 3 12 3 2 1 2
1.7x 1 2.4y 5 23.8 2x 2 y 5 5 2 5 23 2 5 24
x y x y
15. 371x 1 258y 5 2710 16. 325x 2 175y 5 2625 3 2 1 3
137x 1 125y 5 971 173x 2 276y 5 33 45. 2 5 4 46. 2 5 0
x y x y
17. 2x 2 y 5 27 18. x 2 y 5 24
25 2 4 1
3x 2 4z 5 21 x1z51 1 58 1 56
3x 1 y 2 4z 5 0 3x 1 y 1 2z 5 4 x y x y
19. x1y1z50 20. 2x 1 y 1 z 5 0 47. Find the point of intersection of the two lines given by
x 1 2y 1 z 5 0 3x 1 2y 1 4z 5 0 2x 2 3y 5 4 and 3x 1 y 5 25.
2x 1 3y 1 2z 5 0 x 2 2y 2 3z 5 0 48. Find the point of intersection of the two lines given by
21. x 2 y 1 2z 5 4 22. x 1 5y 1 3z 5 23 y 5 2x 2 5 and 2y 5 3x 2 8.
2x 1 3y 2 z 5 5 4x 1 3y 1 2z 5 2
3x 1 2y 1 z 5 8 3x 1 y 1 z 5 3 Exercises 49–50 Nonlinear Systems Follow the proce-
23. x 1 3y 1 z 5 0 24. x 2 3y 2 3z 5 25 dure in the introductory section to solve the system; then
22x 1 y 5 24 5x 2 7y 2 3z 5 15 draw graphs of both equations on the same screen.
8x 1 3y 1 2z 5 12 4x 2 4y 2 3z 5 8 49. x 1 y 5 25 50. x 1 y 5 21
25. 2x 2 4y 1 3z 5 0 26. 5x 1 6y 1 3z 5 21 x 2 1 y 2 5 289 x 2 1 y 2 5 289
x 2 y 2 2z 5 26 x 1 4y 2 2z 5 8
6x 2 4y 1 z 5 28 x 1 3y 1 2z 5 2 Exercises 51–54 Perimeter and Area One vertex of a
triangle is the point of intersection of lines L1 and L 2 , and
27. 2x 1 6y 1 2z 5 1 28. 2x 2 4y 1 z 5 214
the other two vertices are the x-intercept points of L1 and
2x 2 7y 1 z 5 13 3x 2 y 1 3z 5 2
L2 . Find (a) the perimeter of the triangle and (b) the area of
25x 1 7y 1 3z 5 0 2x 1 4y 2 z 5 12
the triangular region.
29. x 2 2y 1 2z 5 23 30. x 1 3y 1 2z 5 0
51. L 1 : x 1 y 5 6 52. L 1 : x 1 2y 5 4
x 2 2y 1 7z 5 213 6x 1 3y 1 2z 5 10
L 2 : x 2 3y 5 22 L 2 : 3x 2 y 5 29
3x 2 2y 1 7z 5 23 3x 1 y 1 3z 5 17
53. L 1 : y 5 20.5x 1 2.5 54. L 1 : y 5 x 2 2
31. x 1 y 2 2z 5 9 32. 2x 2 y 1 z 5 4
L 2 : y 5 23x L 2 : y 5 0.5x 1 0.5
2x 2 y 5 0 x2y50
3x 1 z 5 0 2x 1 z 5 0
Exercises 55–60 Systems Solve the system of equations.
33. 6x 2 4y 1 z 5 224 34. x 2 2y 5 0
7x 2 4y 1 z 5 226 23x 2 4y 1 z 5 0 55.
xy
5 3,
xz
5 4,
yz
56
6x 2 3y 1 z 5 220 2y 1 z 5 0 x1y x1z z1y
35. 2x 2 3y 1 z 5 11
3x 2 y 1 2z 5 10
36. 22x 1 y 2 3z 5 14
3x 2 2y 2 z 5 25 S
Hint: If
xy
x1y
5 3, then
x1y 1 1 1
xy
5 1 5 .
y x 3
D
5x 1 4y 2 z 5 1 2x 1 2y 2 3z 5 7
Exercises 37–42 Cramer’s Rule Use Cramer’s Rule to
56. log~xyz! 5 2, log SD
xy
z
5 0, logSD yz
x
50

solve the system. Then find a window in which you can see ~Hint: log~xyz! 5 log x 1 log y 1 log z.!
the intersection of the graphs.
37. 15x 1 37y 5 19 38. 192x 2 135y 5 2709
57. ln~xyz! 5 0.5, ln~x 2 y! 5 1, ln SD
yz
x
5 21.5
17x 1 14y 5 245 64x 1 83y 5 519 ~Hint: See Exercise 56.!
39. 72x 1 43y 5 141 58. 22x12y 5 4z 4 · 2x2y 5 8z 32 · 2y1z 5 4x
129x 2 22y 5 21233 ~Hint: Use properties of exponents.!
40. 429x 2 362y 5 25285 59. 4x 5 8 · 2x12y
611x 1 243y 5 21306.8 9x26y 5 9 · 324y
41. 17x 1 43y 5 2118 42. 42x 2 36y 5 2113.4 60. log~2x 2 y! 1 log 5 5 1
12x 2 28y 5 2200 61x 2 24y 5 72.9 log x 2 log y 5 0
pg500 [V] G2 5-36058 / HCG / Cannon & Elich rps/clb 11-13-95 QCx

500 Chapter 9 Systems of Equations and Inequalities

61. Triangle Suppose lines L 1 , L 2 , L 3 are given by the 71. Airspeed When flying with the wind, it takes a plane
equations: 1 hour and 15 minutes to travel 600 kilometers; when
L 1 : 2x 1 2y 5 1 flying against the wind it takes 1 hour 40 minutes to
L 2 : x 1 2y 5 3 L 3 : 3x 1 2y 5 13. travel 600 kilometers. What is the airspeed of the plane
and the speed of the wind?
(a) Draw a graph to show lines L 1 , L 2 , and L 3 .
(b) Find the points of intersection for each pair of the 72. Mixture Problem One cup of half-and-half cream
three lines. contains 28 g of fat and 7 g of protein, while one cup of
(c) For the triangle formed by the three lines in (a), low-fat milk contains 5 g of fat and 8 g of protein. How
find the largest angle to the nearest degree. many cups of half-and-half and how many cups of low-
62. Rectangle The area of a rectangle remains unchanged fat milk should be combined to get a mixture that con-
if its width is increased by 2 and its length is decreased tains 71 g of fat and 38 g of protein?
by 2, or if its width is decreased by 2 and its length is 73. Finding Costs The cost of a sandwich, a drink, and a
increased by 3. What is the perimeter of the rectangle? piece of pie is $2.50. The sandwich costs a dollar more
63. Rectangle The perimeter of a rectangle is 24 cm. If its than the pie, and the pie costs twice as much as the
length is 2 cm greater than its width, what is the area of drink. What is the cost of each?
the rectangular region? 74. Investing A total of $3600 is invested in three differ-
64. Gardening A gardener wants to buy two kinds of ent accounts. The first account earns interest at a rate of
flowers to plant a border. Ajugas are $1.10 each, and 8 percent, the second at 10 percent, and the third at 12
Lilliput Zinnias are $0.85 each. The gardener wants to percent. The amount invested in the first account is
spend exactly $200 to purchase exactly 200 plants. Can twice as much as that in the second account. If the total
some combination of ajugas and zinnias meet this amount of simple interest earned in one year is $388,
need? If so, how many of each should be bought? how much is invested in each account?
65. Investing A total of $2500 is invested at simple inter- 75. Mixture Problem Suppose x grams of food A, y grams
est in two accounts. The first pays 8 percent interest and of food B, and z grams of food C are mixed together for
the second pays 10 percent interest per year. The total a total weight of 2400 grams. The vitamin D and calorie
interest earned from the two accounts after one year is content of each food is given in the table.
$234. How much is invested in each account?
Units of Vitamin D Calories
66. Mixture Problem A mixture of 36 pounds of peanuts
Food per Gram per Gram
and cashews costs a total of $33. If peanuts cost $0.80
per pound and cashews cost $1.10 per pound, how A 0.75 1.4
many pounds of each does the mixture contain? B 0.50 1.6
67. Two Numbers The sum of two numbers is 63 and the
first is twice the second. What is the product of the two C 1.00 1.5
numbers? The 2400-gram mixture contains a total of 1725 units
68. Fencing A rectangular lot has a length-to-width ratio of vitamin D and 3690 calories. How many grams of
of 4 to 3. If 168 meters of fence will enclose it, what are each type of food does it contain?
the dimensions of the lot? 76. Finding a Quadratic
69. Mixture Problem Suppose x grams of food A and y (a) Find an equation for the quadratic function whose
grams of food B are mixed and the total weight is 2000 graph passes through the three points (21, 8),
grams. Food A contains 0.25 units of vitamin D per (0, 5), and (1, 24). (Hint: Let the parabola have
gram, and food B contains 0.50 units of vitamin D per equation y 5 Ax 2 1 Bx 1 C, substitute coordi-
gram. Suppose the final mixture contains 900 units of nates of the given points, and solve for A, B, and C.)
vitamin D. How many grams of each type of food does (b) What is the distance between the x-intercept points
the mixture contain? of the parabola?
70. Filling a Tank Two pipelines A and B are used to fill 77. Filling a Tank A large tank full of water has three
a tank with water. The tank can be filled by running A outlet pipes, A, B, and C. If only A and B are opened, the
for three hours and B for six hours, or it can be filled by tank empties in three hours. If only A and C are open,
having both of the supply lines open for four hours. How the tank drains in four hours. If only pipes B and C are
long would it take for A to fill the tank alone? How long open, the tank drains in six hours. How long does it take
would it take for B to fill the tank alone? (Hint: If x is to empty the tank if all three pipes are open? (Hint: If
the number of hours it takes A to fill the tank alone, then outlet A can empty the tank in x hours, how much drains
in one hour, A will fill 1x of the total capacity of the tank.) through A in one hour?)