Preston and Joel are both solving the equation 2x=14
.
Preston is not sure what to do because he does not know a power of 2
that equals 14
.
Joel uses his calculator to graph y=2x
and y=14
and find the point of intersection.
Will Joel's method work?
A graph of a line and a curve. The line is labeled y = 14. It has slope 0 and y-intercept 14. The curve is labeled y = 2 to the x power. The curve approaches 0 as x heads to negative infinity. The curve intersects the line at a point labeled (3.807, 14).
CLEAR CHECK
Yes, the graph intersects at exactly (3.807,14)
, so 3.807
is the exact solution to 2x=14
.
Yes, the graph intersects around (3.807,14)
, so 3.807
is a good estimate of the solution to 2x=14
.
No, the graph intersects around (3.807,14)
, so this equation does not have an exact solution.
No, Joel cannot use the graph to solve the equation because the graphs do not intersect on a grid line.