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 #1
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This question was similar - it was probably yours.  Does it help?

 

http://web2.0calc.com/questions/how-do-you-find-a-total-mass-using-spherical-shells-for-example-the-total-mass-of-a-spherical-galaxy-with-a-mass-density-at-a-distance-s

 

If not you will probably waits till Alan is on.  He is the only one on here that can usually answer questions at this level.  I would not expect him to be on for several hours. 

Oct 22, 2014
 #2
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+5

Points (-2, -4), (0,0), (4,a) and (b, 18)

If they're all on the same line, then they're all on the same slope, or share the same "m" value in y=mx+b. Now, in the first two ordered pairs, the x values are -2 and 0. The y values are -4 and 0. For each respective ordered pair, the equations can be made:

-4=m(-2)+b

0=m(0)+b

If you take the second equation, you can solve for b easily, because anything times 0 is 0.

0=m(0)+b

0=0+b

0=b

So, since this is all on the same line, or slope, that value of b works in the other equation.

-4=m(-2)+0

Now, solve for m! You can drop the plus 0, and then divide by -2 on both sides.

-4=m(-2)+0

-4=m(-2)

2=m

So, now we know m=2 and b=0. We can plug these into our slope-intercept equation. From now on:

y=2x+0

Or, simply,

y=2x

Now, we need to solve for (4,a) and (b, 18).

In the first one, we know the x value, 4, but need to find y, which is a.

a=2(4)

a=8

In the second one, we know the y value, 18, but need to find x, which is b.

18=2b

b=9

So you were right! a=8 and b=9.

SIDE NOTE: Because one ordered pair was (0,0), we could skip a step to find b in y=mx+b. Normally, this is how it would be done:

Find slope-intercept form of (-2,-4) and (0,0)

-4=m(-2)+b

0=m(0)+b

Rewrite both equations so b is left alone. On the first one, subtract m(-2) from both sides.

-4-m(-2)=b

This could be rewritten as -(-2m), or simply +2m.

-4+2m=b.

Now, subtract m(0) from both sides of the second equation

0-m0=b.

So, if -4+2m=b, and b=0-m0, we can squish that all together:

-4+2m=b=0-m0

-4+2m=0-m0

Then, you would go about solving for m like you would in any equation by moving all the b values to one side and all the constants (numbers without variables) to the other. We will add 0 to both sides, and subtract -2m from both sides. This will put the constants on the left and the m values on the right.

-4+0+2m-2m=0+0-m0-2m

-4=-2m

Now, dividing -4/-2 gets:

m=2

Just like it did before! Now you plug this back into the equations (the ones using points (-2,-4) and (0,0) in the slope-intercept equation y=mx+b) to get your b value. Then solve the rest like you did already!

Oct 22, 2014

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