To determine if the given equation is a linear equation, let's first see if we can rewrite it in standard form.
Ax+ By= CIn this form, A, B, and C are constants and either A or B must be nonzero.
This is the standard form of the given equation. Below we have highlighted how it corresponds to the general standard form.
9m-8n=-60 ⇔ 9m+( -8)n= -60
When written this way, we can see that A= 9, B= -8, and C= -60. Since this equation can be written in standard form, it is linear.