Which one of the following options is true, and why? y = 3x + 5 has
(i) a unique solution,
(ii) only two solutions,
(iii) infinitely many solutions
Let's evaluate the possible solutions for the equation \( y = 3x + 5 \):
This is incorrect because the equation \( y = 3x + 5 \) represents a straight line. For any value of \( x \), there will be a corresponding unique value of \( y \). Therefore, the equation does not represent just one solution; it represents a relationship where for each \( x \), there is exactly one \( y \).
This is incorrect because a linear equation of the form \( y = mx + b \) represents an infinite number of solutions. For each value of \( x \), you can find a corresponding value of \( y \), meaning there are more than just two solutions.
This is correct because the equation \( y = 3x + 5 \) represents a straight line, and a straight line contains infinitely many points. For each possible value of \( x \), there will be a corresponding \( y \), which gives an infinite number of solutions.
(iii) infinitely many solutions.
This is because a linear equation in two variables has infinitely many solutions. For every value of \( x \), there is a corresponding value of \( y \), and this relationship is represented by a straight line on the Cartesian plane.