Which of the following equations is linear?

A.y = x^2 + 5x -2
B.y = 2x + 5
C.y = x^3 + 1
D.y = x(x + 3)

I'm really stuck

B. 2x+5

To determine which of the given equations is linear, we need to understand what constitutes a linear equation.

A linear equation is a polynomial equation of degree one, where the variables are only raised to the power of one and have no other powers. Additionally, a linear equation does not have any terms involving products of the variables.

Let's examine each equation to determine if it meets the criteria for being linear:

A. y = x^2 + 5x - 2
In this equation, we have a term with x raised to the power of two (x^2). Therefore, this equation is not linear.

B. y = 2x + 5
This equation has terms with x only raised to the power of one (x) and no other powers. Additionally, there are no terms involving products of the variables. Therefore, this equation is linear.

C. y = x^3 + 1
Similar to equation A, this equation has a term with x raised to the power of three (x^3), so it is not linear.

D. y = x(x + 3)
In this equation, we have a term involving the product of the variables (x(x + 3)). Therefore, this equation is not linear.

Thus, the linear equation is B. y = 2x + 5.