Final answer:
The given system of linear equations has infinitely many solutions as (a, b) moves along the unit circle in the plane. The smallest number of equations in the system that have the same solution set is 1. If we add the equation 0x + 0y = 0 to the system, it doesn't change the solution set and if one of the equations was recorded as ax + by = 0.00001, it would create a slight deviation from the unit circle.
Step-by-step explanation:
The given system of linear equations is ax + by = 0, where (a, b) moves along the unit circle in the plane. Let's analyze each part of the question:
(a) The system of equations has infinitely many solutions. This is because for every point on the unit circle, we can find a unique solution that satisfies the equation.
(b) The smallest number of equations in the system that have the same solution set is 1. This means that a single equation is enough to represent the solution set of the entire system. Two such linear systems in vector form could be:
System 1: [x, y] = [1, 0]
System 2: [x, y] = [-1, 0]
(c) If we add the equation 0x + 0y = 0 to the system, it doesn't change the solution set. This equation is a trivial one, as it doesn't provide any additional information.
(d) If one of the equations was recorded as ax + by = 0.00001, it would create a slight deviation from the unit circle. The solution set would still be infinite, but the points would no longer lie exactly on the unit circle. This is because the equation no longer represents the unit circle.