Question which-

1.4 Systems of Two Linear Equations - No-solution and infinite-solution cases
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Which of the following systems of linear equations has no solution?

A.

y = 6 x + 3

y = 6 x + 9

B.

y = 10

y = 10 x + 10

C.

y = 14 x + 14

y = 10 x + 14

D.

x = 3

y = 10

Which of the following systems of linear equations has no solution?

Hard-difficulty · SAT Math · Systems of Two Linear Equations — No-solution and infinite-solution cases. Read the question above, select your answer, and check the full explanation below to understand exactly why the correct choice works.

Answer explanation

Choice A is correct. A system of two linear equations in two variables, x and y , has no solution if the graphs of the lines represented by the equations in the xy-plane are distinct and parallel. The graphs of two lines in the xy-plane represented by equations in slope-intercept form, y=mx+b, where m and b are constants, are parallel if their slopes, m , are the same and are distinct if their y-coordinates of the y-intercepts, b , are different. In the equations y=6x+3 and y=6x+9, the values of m are each 6 , and the values of b are 3 and 9 , respectively. Since the slopes of these lines are the same and the y-coordinates of the y-intercepts are different, it follows that the system of linear equations in choice A has no solution.

Choice B is incorrect. The two lines represented by these equations are a horizontal line and a line with a slope of 10 that have the same y-coordinate of the y-intercept. Therefore, this system has a solution, 0,10, rather than no solution.

Choice C is incorrect. The two lines represented by these equations have different slopes and the same y-coordinate of the y-intercept. Therefore, this system has a solution, 0,14, rather than no solution.

Choice D is incorrect. The two lines represented by these equations are a vertical line and a horizontal line. Therefore, this system has a solution, 3,10, rather than no solution.