Question

Which one of the following is not a criterion for linearity of an equation?

(a) The dependent variable y should be of second order

(b) The derivatives of the dependent variable should be of second order

(c) Each coefficient does not depend on the independent variable

(d) Each coefficient depends only on the independent variable

I have been asked this question by my school principal while I was bunking the class.

The query is from Transformation (Reduction) of Quadratic Form to Canonical Form topic in chapter Eigen Values and Eigen Vectors of Engineering Mathematics

Answer 1

Correct answer is (c) Each coefficient does not depend on the independent variable

Explanation: The two criterions for linearity of an equation are: The dependent variable y and its derivatives of first degree. Each coefficient depends only on the independent variable.