Solving Linear Equations

Imagine being a pilot, but not just any pilot—a drone pilot. Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, are devices that can be flown remotely. They contain sensors that can relay information to a command center where the pilot is located. Larger drones can also carry cargo. In the near future, several companies hope to use drones to deliver materials and piloting a drone will become an important career. Law enforcement and the military are using drones, rather than sending personnel into dangerous situations. Building and piloting a drone requires the ability to program a set of actions, including taking off, turning, and landing. This, in turn, requires the use of linear equations. In this chapter, you will explore linear equations, develop a strategy for solving them, and relate them to real-world situations.

Sections

• Use a General Strategy to Solve Linear Equations — solving and classifying linear equations, including equations with fraction or decimal coefficients.
• Use a Problem Solving Strategy — applying a problem-solving strategy to word problems involving numbers, percentages, and simple interest.
• Solve a Formula for a Specific Variable — solving formulas for a specified variable and using formulas in geometry applications.
• Solve Mixture and Uniform Motion Applications — using linear equations to solve coin, ticket, stamp, mixture, and uniform motion applications.
• Solve Linear Inequalities — graphing inequalities on a number line, solving and translating linear inequalities, and applying them to real situations.
• Solve Compound Inequalities — solving compound inequalities with “and” or “or,” writing solutions in interval notation, and applying compound inequalities.
• Solve Absolute Value Inequalities — solving absolute value equations and inequalities with “less than” or “greater than,” and using absolute value in applications.

This chapter overview is adapted from Intermediate Algebra 2e, Chapter 2 Introduction by Lynn Marecek and Andrea Honeycutt Mathis, © OpenStax, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Access the original for free at openstax.org. Changes: recast the chapter outline as a descriptive section list.