You might call linear equations the Holy Grail of the SAT. In our view, linear equations are the single most frequently tested concept on the entire SAT MATH Exam.
A linear equation is an equation that features two first-order variables (so we’re excluding equations where either variable is squared or cubed or a square root, for instance, or equations with three or more variables). And a linear equation (as the name suggests) when graphed yields a straight line.
The absolutely crucial topic of LINEAR EQUATIONS embraces more sub-topics than any other concept tested on the MATH SAT exam. Questions pertaining to linear equations will require knowledge of—
- Graphing in the Coordinate Plane
- Slope / y-intecept? / Rate of Change
- Slope-intercept Form vs. Standard Form
- Calculating Equations from two points / one point & slope
- System of Equations
- Inequalities
- Infinite Solutions / No Solutions / Parallel Lines / Perpendicular Lines
- Word Problems
- And more!
Also, solving questions involving Linear Equations will often require a fundamental skill that we introduced, namely Algebraic Manipulation. So, fluency with Algebraic Manipulation & Linear Equations is basically the one-two punch that you’ll need to excel on the exam! And of course you’ll need a rock-solid understanding of the coordinate plane, as its the palette, if you will, for the graphing of linear equations. So we feature an animated review of the features of the coordinate plane and a few interactive quizzes to make sure you know your x-coordinate from your y-coordinate!
At times the SAT test makers will test if you can extrapolate beyond an abstract linear equation to a physical world phenomenom. Huh? OK, let’s make that more concrete. You need to understand that the slope of a graphed linear equation represents in the real world a RATE of CHANGE (or a SPEED or VELOCITY). For example, in a distance versus time graph applied to the progress of a speedboat, the slope would represent the speed at which the boat is traveling. The steeper the slope, the faster the boat is traveling. If the slope were negative, then the boat would be traveling backwards.
Now we could go on and on, but . . .
I guarantee that you will find our interactive video premium content to be far more compelling, and for that matter just a lot more fun! So, we invite you to try a 24-hour FREE PREMIUM PASS and see if our approach is indeed the best online instruction that you’ve experienced!
