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49. For what values(s) of \( k \) will the following system of linear equations have no solution? Infinitely many solutions? \[ \left\{\begin{array}{r}2 x-3 y=4 \\ -6 x+9 y=k\end{array}\right. \]

Ask by Hardy Schofield. in the United States
Feb 27,2025

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For the system to have infinitely many solutions, \( k = -12 \). For all other values of \( k \), there are no solutions.

Solution

To answer the question, let’s first compare the two equations: Equation 1: 2x – 3y = 4 Equation 2: –6x + 9y = k Notice that if we multiply Equation 1 by –3, we obtain: –3(2x – 3y) = –6x + 9y = –12 For the two equations to be equivalent (i.e., to have infinitely many solutions), the right-hand side of Equation 2 must match –12. This gives: k = –12 Hence, for k = –12, the system has infinitely many solutions because both equations represent the same line. If k is any value other than –12, the equations, while having proportional coefficients (implying they are parallel), will have different constant terms. This means the lines are parallel and do not intersect, so the system has no solution. Summary: • Infinitely many solutions when k = –12 • No solution when k ≠ –12

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For the system of equations to have no solution, the lines represented by the equations must be parallel, meaning their slopes are the same but their intercepts are different. The first equation can be rearranged to find its slope: \( y = \frac{2}{3}x - \frac{4}{3} \), which has a slope of \( \frac{2}{3} \). The second equation, rewritten in slope-intercept form, will also yield a slope of \( \frac{2}{3} \) when comparing coefficients. For the lines to be parallel, we set the constant term unequal to create the condition \( k \neq 12 \). For the system to have infinitely many solutions, the two equations must represent the same line. This can happen when the second equation can be obtained from the first by multiplying through by a nonzero constant. Here, that would mean \( k = 12 \) to satisfy the equation \( -6 \left(\frac{4}{2}\right) + 9 \left(\frac{4}{3}\right) = k \). Thus, the respective values of \( k \) are \( k \neq 12 \) for no solutions and \( k = 12 \) for infinitely many solutions.

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