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2.3 Systems Involving Nonlinear Equations - Line + parabola intersections
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In the xy-plane, a line with equation 2 y = c for some constant c intersects a parabola at exactly one point. If the parabola has equation y = - 2 x 2 + 9 x , what is the value of c ?

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In the xy -plane, a line with equation 2 y = c for some constant c

Hard-difficulty · SAT Math · Systems Involving Nonlinear Equations — Line + parabola intersections. Read the question above, select your answer, and check the full explanation below to understand exactly why the correct choice works.

Answer explanation

The correct answer is 814. The given linear equation is 2y=c. Dividing both sides of this equation by 2 yields y=c2. Substituting c2 for y in the equation of the parabola yields c2=-2x2+9x. Adding 2x2 and - 9 x to both sides of this equation yields 2x2-9x+c2=0. Since it’s given that the line and the parabola intersect at exactly one point, the equation 2x2-9x+c2=0 must have exactly one solution. An equation of the form Ax2+Bx+C=0, where A , B , and C are constants, has exactly one solution when the discriminant, B2-4AC, is equal to 0 . In the equation 2x2-9x+c2=0, where A=2, B=-9, and C=c2, the discriminant is -92-42c2. Setting the discriminant equal to 0 yields -92-42c2=0, or 81-4c=0. Adding 4 c to both sides of this equation yields 81=4c. Dividing both sides of this equation by 4 yields c=814. Note that 81/4 and 20.25 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.