The Friday Fave’s colleagues on the Teaching Faculty at Desmos have been very hard at work upgrading the collection of searchable activities. Some activities have gotten light polishing; most have gotten serious overhauls; none have gone untouched. The net result is a somewhat smaller, but substantially more wonderful search pool.
Solutions to Systems of Linear Equations is one activity that has been around for a while and that the Friday Fave is delighted to share in updated, refreshed form.
This activity helps students connect solutions to equations with solutions to systems of equations; and numerical solutions with graphical solutions.
On screen 2, students enter an (x,y) pair that solves an equation. On screen 3—in the spirit of showing rather than telling—they see that equation and their (x,y) pair graphed on the same axes.
We ask about a graphical solution that’s off the screen, and about solutions that do not exist. Students design their own system of equations that has a given solution. Over the course of 11 screens, students will have considered most of the major introductory questions about systems of linear equations.
The Friday Fave thanks Megan Zimmerman for getting the original version of this activity started, and you for using Solutions to Systems of Linear Equations with your students. Ping us to let us know how it goes.