INTERMEDIATE ALGEBRA

Exercises on Systems of Linear Equations

Direction: Solve the following. Show all necessary computations.

1. State whether the given system is inconsistent, consistent-dependent, or consistent-

independent.
{
2x 3y =
(a)
7 2x + 2 = 7 3y
{
(1 + 3 2)4 x = 7 y 7
(b)
16(7 )y = (2 + 3 16)4 x 16 7
{
2x 5y = 1
(c)
3x + 2y = 2

2. Use the substitution and elimination method, and Cramers rule to nd all solutions
of each system. Graph each system to check your answer. (If D = 0, use other
methods.)
{
2x + 1y = 3
(a) 1 5 2 4
4 x 5 y = 3
{
13x 8y = 3
(b)
7x + 2y = 0
{
4x + 6y = 3
(c)
6x 9y = 92
{
3
x 5y = 1
(d) 2 3
x + 4 y = 1
{
6x 2y = 3
(e)
5x + 3y = 4

3. Solve the given system using Cramers rule. If D = 0, use the pairwise-elimination
method.


7x + 5y 7z = 10
(a) 2x + y + z = 7


x + y 3z = 8


3x + y z = 10
(b) 8x y 6z = 3


5x 2y 5z = 1


2x y + z = 1
(c) x + 3y 2z = 2


5x + 6y 5z = 5


x + y + z = 1
(d) 2x + y + z = 2


3x + 6y + 6z = 5


3x + 3y 2z = 13
(e) 6x + 2y 5z = 13


7x + 5y 3z = 26

4. Solve the following problems completely. Show your solution.

(a) A certain alloy contains 30% tin and 40% copper. (The percentages are by
weight.) How many pounds of tin and how many pounds of copper must be
melted with 500 lb of the given alloy to yield a new alloy containing 50% tin
and 60% copper?
(b) The sum of the digits of a three-digit number is 17. If the hundreds and ones
digits were reversed, the new number is 495 less than the original number. If
the ones and tens digits were switched, the original number decreases by 54.
Find the original number.
(c) An airplane travels 360 km. with the wind in 1 hr. and 20 mins., and returns
against the wind in 2 hrs. and 15 mins. Find the speed of the wind.
(d) The speed of a motorboat in still water is 16 mph. Find the speed of the
rivers current if the motorboat goes 5 mi. downstream in the same time
required going 3 mi. upstream.
(e) A shopkeeper has two types of coee beans on hand. One type sells for PhP
5.2/kg, the other for PhP 5.8/kg. How many kilograms of each type must be
mixed to produce 16 kg of a blend that sells for PhP 5.5/kg?
(f) Given that the lines 7x + 5y = 4, x + ky = 3, and 5x + y + k = 0 are
concurrent (pass through a common point), what are the possible values for k?
(g) Solve the following system for s and t:
{
2s 2t = 10
1 1

2 3
s + t =5
 Hint: Let x = 1s and y = 1t . Solve for the resulting linear equation. After
solving for x and y, use the fact that s = x1 and t = y1 .

(h) Solve the following system for r, s, and t:

r s + t = 15
2 3 5

2r + 1s + 4t = 0

6 2 9
r + s t = 12

(i) Solve the following system for x and y:

{
2x2 + 2y 2 = 55
4x2 8y 2 = 109
{
mx + y = 3
(j) What should be the value of m so that the system has no
6y 3x = 11
solution?
[ ] [ ]
1 2 5 6
5. Let A = and B = . Let A2 and B 2 denote the matrix products AA and BB,
3 4 7 8
respectively. Compute each of the following.

(a) (A + B)(A + B)
(b) A2 + 2AB + B 2
(c) A2 + AB + BA + B 2