| x | y |
|---|---|
| 1 | 5 |
| 2 | 7 |
| 3 | 9 |
| 4 | 11 |
The table above shows some pairs of values and values. Which of the following equations could represent the relationship between and ?
Explanation
Choice is correct. Each of the choices is a linear equation in the form , where and are constants. In this equation, represents the change in for each increase in by . From the table, it can be determined that the value of increases by for each increase in by . In other words, for the pairs of and in the given table, . The value of can be found by substituting the values of and from any row of the table and substituting the value of into the equation and then solving for . For example, using , , and yields . Solving for yields . Therefore, the equation could represent the relationship between and in the given table.
Alternatively, if an equation represents the relationship between and , then when each pair of and from the table is substituted into the equation, the result will be a true statement. Of the equations given, the equation in choice is the only equation that results in a true statement when each of the pairs of and are substituted into the equation.
Choices , , and are incorrect because when at least one pair of and from the table is substituted into the equations given in these choices, the result is a false statement. For example, when the pair and is substituted into the equation in choice , the result is , or , which is false.