How can you tell if an equation is quadratic and not linear?

Quadratic equations contain a term that is squared (such as x^2). Linear equations are of the form y = mx + b, where m and b are constants.

the variable in a quadratic equation must be squared ..but in linear equations the variable isnt squared ..

To determine if an equation is quadratic or linear, you need to assess the powers of the variables involved.

First, check if the equation has any terms with exponents greater than one. If there is a term with a squared variable (e.g., x^2, y^2), then it is a quadratic equation. Quadratic equations always contain at least one term that is squared.

On the other hand, linear equations only involve variables to the power of one (x or y without any exponent). If each variable in the equation has a power of one, then it is a linear equation.

For example:

1. x^2 - 4x + 3 = 0 is a quadratic equation because it has the term x^2 with a variable squared.

2. 3x + 2y = 6 is a linear equation because each variable (x and y) has a power of one.

In summary, look for squared terms to identify quadratic equations and power-one terms to recognize linear equations.