Activity
Here are the graphs of the inequalities in this system:
Decide whether each point is a solution to the system. Be prepared to explain how you know.
Compare your answer:
No. is in the shaded region containing the solutions to one of the inequalities but not in the region where the shading overlaps.
Compare your answer:
Yes. is in the region where the solutions to the two inequalities overlap.
Compare your answer:
Yes. ( is on the solid boundary of because , and it is within the shaded region representing solutions to .
Compare your answer:
No. While is clearly a solution to , it is on the dashed boundary of . The statement is not true.
Compare your answer:
No, because is not true. Even though it is on the solid boundary of one, it is on the dashed boundary of the other.
Video: Determining if Points on Boundary Lines Are Solutions to a System
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Extending Your Thinking
Find a system of inequalities with this triangle as its set of solutions:
, , or equivalent
Self Check
Here is the graph of this system of inequalities. Which of the following ordered pairs falls within the solution set?
Additional Resources
Determine Solutions of Systems of Inequalities on Boundary Lines
A solution to a system of inequalities only exists on a boundary line if the line is solid, not dashed.
Example
Solve the system by graphing:
Solution
Graph , by graphing and testing a point. The intercepts are and , and the boundary line will be dashed. Test , which makes the inequality false, so shade (red) the side that does not contain .
Graph by graphing using the slope and -intercept . The boundary line will be dashed
Test , which makes the inequality true, so shade (blue) the side that contains .
Choose a test point in the solution and verify that it is a solution to both inequalities.
The point of intersection of the two lines is not included because both boundary lines were dashed. The solution is the area shaded twice—which appears as the darkest shaded region.
Notice that the point is NOT a solution because it falls on the red dashed line. The point IS a solution because it is included in the solutions to both inequalities.
Try it
Try It: Determine Solutions of Systems of Inequalities on Boundary Lines
Which of the following are solutions of the graph below?
Compare your answer:
Here is how to determine if the coordinates are solutions:
Remember that when a coordinate is on a boundary line, it must be solid if it is a solution. The coordinate must also be in the overlapping shaded regions to be a solution to the entire system.
The answers are and