Answers - Nonlinear Functions of 1 Variable and 2 Variable
Answers - Nonlinear Functions of 1 Variable and 2 Variable
ID: 3a9d60b2
Rationale
The correct answer is 9. The given equation can be rewritten as 54 - 𝑥 = 25. Dividing each side of this equation by 5 yields
4 - 𝑥 = 5. By the definition of absolute value, if 4 - 𝑥 = 5, then 4 - 𝑥 = 5 or 4 - 𝑥 = - 5. Subtracting 4 from each side of the
equation 4 - 𝑥 = 5 yields -𝑥 = 1. Dividing each side of this equation by -1 yields 𝑥 = - 1. Similarly, subtracting 4 from each
side of the equation 4 - 𝑥 = - 5 yields -𝑥 = - 9. Dividing each side of this equation by -1 yields 𝑥 = 9. Therefore, since the two
solutions to the given equation are -1 and 9, the positive solution to the given equation is 9.
ID: fc3d783a
In the -plane, a line with equation intersects a parabola at exactly one point. If the parabola has equation
, where is a positive constant, what is the value of ?
Rationale
The correct answer is 6. It’s given that a line with equation 2𝑦 = 4 . 5 intersects a parabola with equation 𝑦 = - 4𝑥2 + 𝑏𝑥,
where 𝑏 is a positive constant, at exactly one point in the xy-plane. It follows that the system of equations consisting of
2𝑦 = 4 . 5 and 𝑦 = - 4𝑥2 + 𝑏𝑥 has exactly one solution. Dividing both sides of the equation of the line by 2 yields 𝑦 = 2 . 25.
Substituting 2.25 for 𝑦 in the equation of the parabola yields 2 . 25 = - 4𝑥2 + 𝑏𝑥. Adding 4𝑥2 and subtracting 𝑏𝑥 from both
sides of this equation yields 4𝑥2 - 𝑏𝑥 + 2 . 25 = 0. A quadratic equation in the form of 𝑎𝑥2 + 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑐 = 0, where 𝑎, 𝑏, and 𝑐 are
constants, has exactly one solution when the discriminant, 𝑏2 - 4𝑎𝑐, is equal to zero. Substituting 4 for 𝑎 and 2.25 for 𝑐 in the
expression 𝑏2 - 4𝑎𝑐 and setting this expression equal to 0 yields 𝑏2 - 4 ( 4 ) ( 2 . 25 ) = 0, or 𝑏2 - 36 = 0. Adding 36 to each
side of this equation yields 𝑏2 = 36. Taking the square root of each side of this equation yields 𝑏 = ± 6. It’s given that 𝑏 is
positive, so the value of 𝑏 is 6.
ID: 4661e2a9
A.
B.
C.
D.
Rationale
Choice A is correct. The solution to the given system of equations can be found by solving the first equation for x, which
gives , and substituting that value of x into the second equation which gives . Rewriting this
equation by adding like terms and expanding gives . Subtracting from both sides of this
equation gives . Adding to 2 to both sides of this equation gives . Therefore, it follows that .
Substituting for y in the first equation yields . Adding to both sides of this equation yields .
Choice B is incorrect. Substituting for x and for y in the first equation yields , or ,
which isn’t a true statement. Choice C is incorrect. Substituting for x and for y in the second equation yields
ID: f65288e8
A.
B.
C.
D.
Rationale
Choice A is correct. The given equation can be rewritten as . Multiplying both sides of this equation by
yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by 4 yields . Taking the square root of both sides of
ID: f2f3fa00
During a 5-second time interval, the average acceleration a, in meters per second
squared, of an object with an initial velocity of 12 meters per second is defined by
Rationale
The correct answer is 5. The given equation can be rewritten in the form , like so:
ID: 6ce95fc8
A. 2
B.
C.
D.
Choice D is correct. A quadratic equation in the form , where a, b, and c are constants, can be solved
using the quadratic formula: . Subtracting from both sides of the given equation yields
equation can be rewritten as . Dividing 2 from both the numerator and denominator yields or
. Of these two solutions, only is present among the choices. Thus, the correct choice is D.
Choice A is incorrect and may result from a computational or conceptual error. Choice B is incorrect and may result from
ID: f5aa5040
In the xy-plane, a line with equation for some constant intersects a parabola at exactly one point. If the parabola
has equation , what is the value of ?
Rationale
81 𝑐
The correct answer is 4
. The given linear equation is 2𝑦 = 𝑐. Dividing both sides of this equation by 2 yields 𝑦 = 2 .
𝑐 𝑐
Substituting for 𝑦 in the equation of the parabola yields = - 2𝑥2 + 9𝑥. Adding 2𝑥2 and -9𝑥 to both sides of this equation
2 2
𝑐
yields 2𝑥2 - 9𝑥 + = 0. Since it’s given that the line and the parabola intersect at exactly one point, the equation
2
𝑐
2𝑥2 - 9𝑥 + 2
= 0 must have exactly one solution. An equation of the form 𝐴𝑥2 + 𝐵𝑥 + 𝐶 = 0, where 𝐴, 𝐵, and 𝐶 are constants,
𝑐
has exactly one solution when the discriminant, 𝐵2 - 4𝐴𝐶, is equal to 0. In the equation 2𝑥2 - 9𝑥 + = 0, where 𝐴 = 2, 𝐵 = - 9,
2
𝑐 2 𝑐 2 𝑐
and 𝐶 = , the discriminant is -9 - 42 . Setting the discriminant equal to 0 yields -9 - 42 = 0, or 81 - 4𝑐 = 0. Adding 4𝑐 to
2 2 2
81
both sides of this equation yields 81 = 4𝑐. Dividing both sides of this equation by 4 yields 𝑐 = 4
. Note that 81/4 and 20.25
are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.
ID: 7bd10ef3
In the equation above, t is a constant. If the equation has no real solutions, which
of the following could be the value of t ?
A.
B.
C. 1
D. 3
Choice A is correct. The number of solutions to any quadratic equation in the form , where a, b, and c are
constants, can be found by evaluating the expression , which is called the discriminant. If the value of is a
positive number, then there will be exactly two real solutions to the equation. If the value of is zero, then there will
be exactly one real solution to the equation. Finally, if the value of is negative, then there will be no real solutions to
the equation.
The given equation is a quadratic equation in one variable, where t is a constant. Subtracting t from both sides
of the equation gives . In this form, , , and . The values of t for which the equation has
no real solutions are the same values of t for which the discriminant of this equation is a negative value. The discriminant is
equal to ; therefore, . Simplifying the left side of the inequality gives .
Subtracting 16 from both sides of the inequality and then dividing both sides by 8 gives . Of the values given in the
options, is the only value that is less than . Therefore, choice A must be the correct answer.
Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from a misconception about how to use the discriminant to determine the
number of solutions of a quadratic equation in one variable.
ID: 66bce0c1
A.
B.
C.
D.
Choice B is correct. Subtracting 4 from both sides of isolates the radical expression on the left side of
equation can be rewritten as a quadratic equation in standard form: . One way to solve this quadratic
equation is to factor the expression by identifying two numbers with a sum of and a product of . These
numbers are and 1. So the quadratic equation can be factored as . It follows that 5 and are the
solutions to the quadratic equation. However, the solutions must be verified by checking whether 5 and satisfy the
, or , which is true. Therefore, is the only solution to the original equation, and so the
solution set is .
Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because each of these sets contains at least one value that results in a false statement
when substituted into the given equation. For instance, in choice D, when 0 is substituted for x into the given equation, the
result is , or . This is not a true statement, so 0 is not a solution to the given equation.
ID: 97e50fa2
Rationale
The correct answer is either 2 or 8. Substituting in the definitions for f and g gives and
. Combining the like terms on one side of the equation gives . One way to solve this
equation is to factor by identifying two numbers with a sum of and a product of 16. These numbers are
and , so the quadratic equation can be factored as . Therefore, the possible values of a are either 2
or 8. Note that 2 and 8 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.
Alternate approach: Graphically, the condition implies the graphs of the functions and
intersect at . The graph is given, and the graph of may be sketched as a line with y-intercept 10 and
a slope of (taking care to note the different scales on each axis). These two graphs intersect at and .
ID: 3d12b1e0
In the given equation, is a constant. The equation has exactly one solution. What is the value of ?
Rationale
The correct answer is -1. A quadratic equation in the form 𝑎𝑥2 + 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑐 = 0, where 𝑎, 𝑏, and 𝑐 are constants, has exactly one
2
solution when its discriminant, 𝑏 - 4𝑎𝑐, is equal to 0. In the given equation, -16𝑥2 - 8𝑥 + 𝑐 = 0, 𝑎 = - 16 and 𝑏 = - 8.
2 2
Substituting -16 for 𝑎 and -8 for 𝑏 in 𝑏 - 4𝑎𝑐 yields -8 - 4-16𝑐, or 64 + 64𝑐. Since the given equation has exactly one solution,
64 + 64𝑐 = 0. Subtracting 64 from both sides of this equation yields 64𝑐 = - 64. Dividing both sides of this equation by 64
yields 𝑐 = - 1. Therefore, the value of 𝑐 is -1.
ID: 71014fb1
How many distinct real solutions does the given equation have?
A. Exactly one
B. Exactly two
C. Infinitely many
D. Zero
Rationale
Choice D is correct. Any quantity that is positive or negative in value has a positive value when squared. Therefore, the left-
hand side of the given equation is either positive or zero for any value of 𝑥. Since the right-hand side of the given equation is
negative, there is no value of 𝑥 for which the given equation is true. Thus, the number of distinct real solutions for the given
equation is zero.
Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.
ID: e9349667
A.
B.
C.
D.
Rationale
Choice D is correct. The system of equations can be solved using the substitution method. Solving the second equation for y
gives y = –x – 1. Substituting the expression –x – 1 for y into the first equation gives –x – 1 = x2 + 2x + 1. Adding x + 1 to
both sides of the equation yields x2 + 3x + 2 = 0. The left-hand side of the equation can be factored by finding two numbers
whose sum is 3 and whose product is 2, which gives (x + 2)(x + 1) = 0. Setting each factor equal to 0 yields x + 2 = 0 and x +
1 = 0, and solving for x yields x = –2 or x = –1. These values of x can be substituted for x in the equation y = –x – 1 to find the
corresponding y-values: y = –(–2) – 1 = 2 – 1 = 1 and y = –(–1) – 1 = 1 – 1 = 0. It follows that (–2, 1) and (–1, 0) are the
solutions to the given system of equations. Therefore, (x1, y1) = (–2, 1), (x2, y2) = (–1, 0), and y1 + y2 = 1 + 0 = 1.
Choice A is incorrect. The solutions to the system of equations are (x1, y1) = (–2, 1) and (x2, y2) = (–1, 0). Therefore, –3 is the
sum of the x-coordinates of the solutions, not the sum of the y-coordinates of the solutions. Choices B and C are incorrect
and may be the result of computation or substitution errors.
ID: b03adde3
If , what is t
in terms of u ?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Rationale
Choice D is correct. Multiplying both sides of the given equation by yields . Dividing both sides of this
equation by yields . Adding 2 to both sides of this equation yields , which can be rewritten
as . Since the fractions on the right-hand side of this equation have a common denominator, adding
the fractions yields . Applying the distributive property to the numerator on the right-hand side of this
Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from various misconceptions or miscalculations.
ID: 7dbd46d9
The graphs of the equations in the given system of equations intersect at the point in the -plane. What is a possible
value of ?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that the graphs of the equations in the given system of equations intersect at the point 𝑥, 𝑦.
Therefore, this intersection point is a solution to the given system. The solution can be found by isolating 𝑦 in each equation.
The given equation 8𝑥 + 𝑦 = - 11 can be rewritten to isolate 𝑦 by subtracting 8𝑥 from both sides of the equation, which gives
𝑦 = - 8𝑥 - 11. The given equation 2𝑥2 = 𝑦 + 341 can be rewritten to isolate 𝑦 by subtracting 341 from both sides of the
equation, which gives 2𝑥2 - 341 = 𝑦. With each equation solved for 𝑦, the value of 𝑦 from one equation can be substituted
into the other, which gives 2𝑥2 - 341 = - 8𝑥 - 11. Adding 8𝑥 and 11 to both sides of this equation results in 2𝑥2 + 8𝑥 - 330 = 0.
Dividing both sides of this equation by 2 results in 𝑥2 + 4𝑥 - 165 = 0. This equation can be rewritten by factoring the left-hand
side, which yields 𝑥 + 15𝑥 - 11 = 0. By the zero-product property, if 𝑥 + 15𝑥 - 11 = 0, then 𝑥 + 15 = 0, or 𝑥 - 11 = 0. It follows
that 𝑥 = - 15, or 𝑥 = 11. Since only -15 is given as a choice, a possible value of 𝑥 is -15.
ID: 30281058
A. 6
B. 2
C.
D.
Rationale
Choice A is correct. It’s given that the graph of and line p intersect at and . Therefore, the value of y
when is the value of a, and the value of y when is the value of b. Substituting 1 for x in the given equation yields
intersection points are and . The slope of line p is the ratio of the change in y to the change in x between these
two points: , or 6.
Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors in determining the values of a, b, or
the slope of line p.
ID: 5910bfff
The formula above can be used to approximate the dew point D, in degrees
Fahrenheit, given the temperature T, in degrees Fahrenheit, and the relative
humidity of H percent, where . Which of the following expresses the relative
humidity in terms of the temperature and the dew point?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Rationale
Choice A is correct. It’s given that . Solving this formula for H expresses the relative humidity in
terms of the temperature and the dew point. Subtracting T from both sides of this equation yields .
Multiplying both sides by yields . Subtracting 100 from both sides yields
Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from errors made when rewriting the given formula.
ID: 1697ffcf
Rationale
The correct answer is 5. The intersection points of the graphs of and can be found by solving the
system consisting of these two equations. To solve the system, substitute x for y in the first equation. This gives
. Subtracting x from both sides of the equation gives . Factoring out of each term on the
left-hand side of the equation gives . Therefore, the possible values for x are 0 and 5. Since , the two
intersection points are and . Therefore, .
ID: 2c5c22d0
Rationale
Choice C is correct. The second equation of the system can be rewritten as . Substituting for y in the first
Substituting 1 for x in the equation gives . Therefore, is the only solution to the system of
equations.
Choice A is incorrect. In the xy-plane, a parabola and a line can intersect at no more than two points. Since the graph of the
first equation is a parabola and the graph of the second equation is a line, the system cannot have more than 2 solutions.
Choice B is incorrect. There is a single ordered pair that satisfies both equations of the system. Choice D is incorrect
ID: fc3dfa26
A.
B.
C.
D. 3
Choice C is correct. Each fraction in the given equation can be expressed with the common denominator . Multiplying
then solving for x. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . The expression
can be factored, resulting in the equation . By the zero product property, or . To solve
for x in , 1 can be added to both sides of the equation, resulting in . Dividing both sides of this equation by
2 results in . Solving for x in yields . However, this value of x would result in the second fraction of
the original equation having a denominator of 0. Therefore, is an extraneous solution. Thus, the only value of x that
Choice A is incorrect and may result from solving but not realizing that this solution is extraneous because it
would result in a denominator of 0 in the second fraction. Choice B is incorrect and may result from a sign error when solving
for x. Choice D is incorrect and may result from a calculation error.
ID: 6011a3f8
In the given equation, is a constant. For which of the following values of will the equation have more than one real
solution?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Rationale
Choice A is correct. A quadratic equation of the form 𝑎𝑥2 + 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑐 = 0, where 𝑎, 𝑏, and 𝑐 are constants, has either no real
solutions, exactly one real solution, or exactly two real solutions. That is, for the given equation to have more than one real
solution, it must have exactly two real solutions. When the value of the discriminant, or 𝑏2 - 4𝑎𝑐, is greater than 0, the given
equation has exactly two real solutions. In the given equation, 64𝑥2 + 𝑏𝑥 + 25 = 0, 𝑎 = 64 and 𝑐 = 25. Therefore, the given
equation has exactly two real solutions when 𝑏2 - 46425 > 0, or 𝑏2 - 6,400 > 0. Adding 6,400 to both sides of this inequality
2 2
yields 𝑏 > 6,400. Taking the square root of both sides of 𝑏 > 6,400 yields two possible inequalities: 𝑏 < - 80 or 𝑏 > 80. Of
the choices, only choice A satisfies 𝑏 < - 80 or 𝑏 > 80.
ID: 58b109d4
Rationale
The correct answer is -10. Adding 𝑦 to both sides of the second equation in the given system yields 20𝑥 + 100 = 𝑦.
Substituting 20𝑥 + 100 for 𝑦 in the first equation in the given system yields 𝑥2 + 20𝑥 + 100 + 7 = 7. Subtracting 7 from both
sides of this equation yields 𝑥2 + 20𝑥 + 100 = 0. Factoring the left-hand side of this equation yields 𝑥 + 10𝑥 + 10 = 0, or
2
𝑥 + 10 = 0. Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields 𝑥 + 10 = 0. Subtracting 10 from both sides of this
equation yields 𝑥 = - 10. Therefore, the value of 𝑥 is -10.