options: Geometry: students learn to classify geometric figures by their properties, and understand and compare the relationships between them. Students develop and use formulas to compute lengths, areas, and volumes, and they use transformations to generate new shapes and compare existing ones. Geometry can be studied with and without coordinates.

Functions: students learn to define, use, and evaluate functions to model relationships between quantities.

Modeling: students learn to choose and use appropriate mathematics and statistics to analyze real-world empirical situations, improve decisions, and report on their conclusions and the reasoning behind them.

Statistics & Probability: students learn to analyze and produce data distributions, and build understanding of univariate and bivariate data. They learn to interpret data, make statistical inferences, justify conclusions, understand rules of probability, and use probability to make decisions.

Operations & Algebra: students learn to solve problems using algebraic thinking and operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They may learn to identify and explain arithmetic patterns, evaluate or manipulate numerical expressions, and reason with equations and inequalities.

Number & Operations in Base Ten: students learn to work with the base-ten system and build place value understanding.

Ratios & Proportional Relationships: students learn to recognize, describe, represent, and reason with ratios, rates, proportional relationships, and percent.

Number & Operations - Fractions: students learn to understand fractions as numbers and may work with them using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

Counting & Cardinality: students learn to know number names and the count sequence, count to tell the number of objects, and compare numbers.

Number Systems and Quantity: students learn to understand the complex number system and reason quantitatively.

Measurement & Data: students learn to work with data and measure attributes such as time, money, length, area, and volume. They may learn to compare measurements to operations and convert between different units of measure.
problem_activity: Activity
In this activity, students examine equations with one variable to determine the number of solutions. In the associated Algebra lesson, students will find the number of solutions for a system of equations. In the discussion after this activity, students are asked to look for ways they can connect the number of solutions to the equation without solving.
Launch
Arrange students in groups of 2.
Demonstrate that there are three options for the number of values that make a linear equation true.
One. For example,
\(x+1 = 3\)
is only true when
\(x = 2\)
and not true for any other value of
\(x\)
.
Zero. For example,
\(x + 1 = x\)
is not true for any value of
\(x\)
.
Infinite. For example
\(x + 1 = x + 1\)
is true for any value of
\(x\)
.
Tell students that they do not need to solve any of the equations, although rewriting the equations in other forms may help students recognize the number of solutions.
Student Facing
How many values of
\(x\)
make each equation true?
\(3x + 1 = 10\)
\(2x + 12 = 2x + 10 + 2\)
\(2x = x + 2\)
\(3(x+4) = 3x + 4\)
\(\frac{2x+6}{2} = x + 6\)
\(0 = 0\)
\(x + 3x - 4 = 7(x - \frac{4}{7})\)
\(0 = 6\)
With your partner, discuss what you notice about the equations based on the number of solutions they have.
Student Response
Teachers with a valid work email address can
click here to register or sign in
for free access to Student Response.
Activity Synthesis
The purpose of the discussion is to recognize ways to determine the number of solutions from an equation without solving. Select students to share their answers as well as what they noticed during their discussions.
To continue the discussion, consider asking:
"What do you notice about equations that have one solution?" (On each side of the equation, there are different number of
\(x\)
variables.)
"Is there a way to know whether there will be infinite or no solutions based on the original equation?" (When each side of the equation has the same number of
\(x\)
variables and the constants are also equal, there will be infinite solutions. When each side of the equation has the same number of
\(x\)
variables and the constants are not equal, there will be no solution.)


correct_option_index: 4