3x + ky = 0 2x + 2y = 0 Solve 2x + 2y = 0 for y 2x + 2y = 0 divide through by 2 x + y = 0 y = -x Substitute in 3x + ky = 0 3x + k(-x) = 0 3x - kx = 0 x(3 - k) = 0 Either x = 0 or else k = 3 If k ≠ 3 then x = 0, and y = -x = -(0) = 0, and (x,y) = (0,0) is the only (unique) solution. However if k = 3, then x can be chosen as any number, and y will equal -x, [the opposite of whatever was chosen for x]. If k = 3, then there is not just one (unique) solution, since (x,y) = (a,-a) will always be a solution to the system as long as k = 3: 3x + 3y = 0 2x + 2y = 0 For instance, not only is (x,y)=(0,0) a solution to that system, but also (1,-1), (-1,1), (-2,2), (3.1416,-3.1416), (-1000000,1000000) and infinitely many more are solutions. However if k is any other value besides 3, there is just one (unique) solution, (x,y) = (0,0). For example, these systems: 3x + 2y = 0 3x - 7y = 0 3x = y = 0 3x + 999y = 0 2x + 2y = 0, 3x + 2y = 0, 2x + 2y = 0, 3x + 2y = 0 all have just one (unique) solution (x,y)=(0,0), since k ≠ 3 Bottom line: unique solution (0,0) if k ≠ 3, infinitely many solutions (a,-a) if k = 3, where a is any real number Edwin