An example of a non-linear equation is a quadratic equation of the form ax^2 + bx + c = 0
To get two inputs you will have to equations like this
y = x^2
y = 8 - x^2
You need to find the points where the equations overlap, so you are trying to find any spots where y = x^2 equals y = 8 - x^2:
y = x^2 = y = 8 - x^2
The algebra comes in when I manipulate useful bits of this last equation. I can pick out whichever parts I like - they're all equal, after all
y = x2
y = 8 - x2
y = y
x^2 = 8 - x^2
Each of these sub-equations is true, but only the last one is usefully new and different. I can solve this for the x-values that make the equation true:
x^2 = 8 - x^2
2x^2 = 8
x^2 = 4
x = -2, +2
Then the solutions to the original system will occur when x = -2 and when x = +2.
What are the corresponding y-values? To find them, I plug the x-values back in to either original equation. (It doesn't matter which one I pick because I only care about the points where the equations spit out the same values. So I can pick whichever equation I like better.) I'll plug the x-values into the first equation, because it's the simpler of the two:
x = -2:
y = x^2
y = (-2)^2 = 4
x = +2:
y = x^2
y = (+2)^2 = 4
Then the solutions (as we already knew) are (x, y) = (-2, 4) and (2, 4).
Copyright © 2026 eLLeNow.com All Rights Reserved.