Question 11·Medium·Nonlinear Equations in One Variable; Systems in Two Variables
Consider the system of equations
The system has two solutions . What is the sum of the -coordinates of the solutions?
(Express the answer as an integer)
For systems involving a line and a parabola, quickly substitute the linear expression for into the quadratic to get a single equation in . Solve or factor this quadratic; if the question asks for a sum or product of coordinates, use the relationships among the roots (like sum of roots ) and the line equation (such as ) to convert between sums of -values and sums of -values without computing every coordinate from scratch.
Hints
Connect the two equations
At an intersection point, the same must satisfy both equations. How can you use this fact to write one equation involving only ?
Work with a single-variable quadratic
After you set the right-hand sides equal, simplify to get a quadratic equation. Can you factor it, or use the relationship between a quadratic’s coefficients and the sum of its roots to find ?
Use the line to relate sums
Once you know the -coordinates, remember that for each point on the line , the -value is 2 less than the -value. How does that affect the sum of the two -coordinates compared with the sum of the two -coordinates?
Desmos Guide
Graph both equations
In Desmos, enter y = x^2 - 7x + 10 on one line and y = x - 2 on another. You should see a parabola and a line that intersect at two points.
Find the intersection points and their y-values
Click or tap on each intersection point that appears; Desmos will display the coordinates and of these points. Note the two -values.
Compute the required sum
In a new expression line, type the sum of the two -values you found (for example, y1 + y2 using the numeric values you read from the graph). The resulting value is the sum of the -coordinates of the solutions.
Step-by-step Explanation
Set the equations equal and form a quadratic
At the intersection points, both equations give the same -value, so set the right-hand sides equal:
Move everything to one side to get a quadratic in :
The -coordinates of the solutions are the roots of this quadratic.
Find the sum of the x-coordinates
Factor the quadratic:
So the -coordinates of the intersection points are and , and their sum is
(You could also use the fact that for , the sum of the roots is , which here is .)
Relate x- and y-coordinates to find the sum of the y-coordinates
Each solution must also satisfy the line equation , so if the -coordinates are and , the corresponding -coordinates are
Add these to get the sum of the -coordinates:
So, the sum of the -coordinates of the solutions is .