Activity
Use the following scenario for 1 - 3:
One gram of protein contains 4 calories. One gram of fat contains 9 calories. A snack has 60 calories from grams of protein and grams of fat.
Determine if 5 grams of protein and 2 grams of fat could be the number of grams of protein and fat in the snack. Explain your reasoning.
Compare your answer:
No, because , not 60.
Determine if 10.5 grams of protein and 2 grams of fat could be the number of grams of protein and fat in the snack. Explain your reasoning.
Compare your answer:
Yes, because .
Determine if 8 grams of protein and 4 grams of fat could be the number of grams of protein and fat in the snack. Explain your reasoning.
Compare your answer:
No, because , not 60.
If there are 6 grams of fat in the snack, how many grams of protein are there? Be prepared to show your reasoning.
Compare your answer:
1.5 grams. For example: , so must be 1.5 for the equation to be true.
In this situation, what does a solution to the equation tell us? Give an example of a solution.
Compare your answer:
It means a pair of grams of protein and fat in the snack that add up to 60 calories. One example would be 6 grams of protein and 4 grams of fat.
Video: Working Through the Equation
Watch the following video to learn more about how to determine a solution to this particular equation: .
Self Check
Additional Resources
Solutions to Equations in Two Variables
An equation that contains two unknown quantities or two quantities that vary is called an equation in two variables.
A solution to such an equation is a pair of numbers that makes the equation true.
Example
Suppose Tyler spends $45 on T-shirts and socks. A T-shirt costs $10, and a pair of socks costs $2.50. If represents the number of T-shirts and represents the number of pairs of socks that Tyler buys, we can represent this situation with the equation:
This is an equation in two variables. More than one pair of values for and make the equation true.
Which pair of values makes the equation true?
and
These values make the equation true, because:
and
These values make the equation true, because:
and
These values make the equation false, because:
In this situation, one constraint is that the combined cost of shirts and socks must equal $45.
Solutions to the equations are pairs of and values that satisfy this constraint, such as in questions 1 - 2.
Combinations such as and , as in question 3, are not solutions because they don't meet the constraint. When these pairs of values are substituted into the equation, they result in statements that are false.
Try it
Try It: Solutions to Equations in Two Variables
Is and a solution to ?
These values make the equation true.
They are a solution to the equation, because: