LESSON 2

SYSTEM OF LINEAR
EQUATIONS

Introduction:

In this section we review how systems of

linear equations involving two and three
variables are solved using techniques
learned in elementary algebra.

Simultaneous Equation
Is referred as a system of linear which is a
collection of 2 or more linear equations, each
containing 1 or more variables.
Examples:
x + 2y = 5
3x y = 1

1. Solve system of equations by substitution

2. Solve system of equations by elimination
3. Solve systems of three equations with three

variables

Solving a System of Two

Equations Using Substitution
In this method, first we choose one of two
Method

equations in a system and solve for one

variable in terms of the other.
Then we substitute the result into the other
equation and solve the resulting linear equation
in one variable
Finally, we substitute this result back into the
results of the first step to find the second
variable.

Example: Solve by
substitution
To solve the following
set of simultaneous equations:
5x + y = 4
(1)
2x - 3y = 5
(2)
From (1) :
y = 4 - 5x
(3)
substitute (3) into (2)
2x - 3(4 - 5x) = 5
2x -12 + 15x = 5
17x = 17 or x = 1
Substitute x=1 into (3): y = 4 - 5x
y = 4 - 5(1) = -1
Thus the solution is x=1, y= -1 or (1, -1).

Example: Solve by
substitution
To solve the following
set of simultaneous equations:
3x + 4y = 17
(1)
2x y = 15
(2)
From (2)
y = 2x 15 (3)
Substitute (3) into (1)
3x + 4(2x 15) = 17
3x + 8x 60 = 17
11x = 77 or x = 7
Substitute x= 7 into (3) : y = 2 (7) 15 = -1
Thus, the solution is x=7, y = -1 or (7, -1)

Solving a System of Two

Equations Using Elimination
Method

Steps:
(1) Decide which of the two
unknowns in the equations to be
eliminated.
(2) Do some row operations, if
necessary, so that the terms in
the two equations containing the
unknown to be eliminated become
thesame.

Elimination Method

(3)Removethetermscontaining
theunknowntobeeliminated.
Thetermscanbeeliminated
eitherbysubtractingone
equationfromtheotherorby
addingthetwoequationsinthe
system,dependingontherow
operationsdoneinstep2above.

Elimination Method

(4)Solvefortheremaining
unknownintheequationresulted
fromtheoperationdoneinstep3
above.
(5)Replacetheunknownwiththe
valuefoundinstep4abovein
oneofthetwooriginalequations
andsolvefortheunknown
eliminatedearlier.

Example: Solve using Elimination

method.

To solve the following set of simultaneous equations:

3x + 4y = 17
(1)
2x y = 15
(2)
(2) 4 :
8x 4y = 60
(3)
Then (3) + (1):
(3x + 4y ) + (8x 4y) =77
11x = 77
x=7
From (2) : y = 2 (7) 15 = -1
Thus the solution is x =7, y =-1 or (7, -1)

Example: Solve using Elimination

Tomethod.
solve the following set of simultaneous equations:
3x - 2y = 8
(1)
2x + 5y = -1
(2)
(1) X 5:
15x - 10y = 40
(3)
(2) X 2:
4x + 10y = -2
(4)
(3) +(4):
15-10y +(4x+10y) = 38
19x = 38 x = 2
Substituting x =2 in (2): 2(2) +5y = -1
5y = -5 y = -1.
Thus the solution is x =2, y = -1 or (2, -1).

Solve systems of three equations with 3 variables

To solve the following set of simultaneous equations with 3 variables:
2x - 3y + 2z = 6
(1)
x + 8y + 3z = -31
(2)
3x 2y + z = -5
(3)
(2) 2 :
2x + 16y + 6z = -62
(4)
(1)
2x - 3y + 2z = 6
(4) (1):
19y + 4z = -68
(5)
(2) 3:
3x + 24y + 9z = -93
(6)
(3)
3x 2y + z = -5
(6) (3):
26y + 8z = -88
(7)
(5) (2)
:
38y + 8z = -136
(8)
(8) (7):
12y = -48
y = -4
Substitute y=-4 into (5), get z=2, substitute both into (2), get x=-5

Mixture Problem 1

A farmer is interested in mixing Grade A

beans, at $0.80 per pound, with Grade B
beans, at $0.60 per pound, to obtain 500
pounds of Grade C beans, at $0.70 per
pound. How many pounds of Grade A and
Grade B beans should be mixed to obtain 500
pounds of Grade C beans?

Answer: 250 pounds of Grade A beans and

250 pounds of Grade B beans to obtain 500
pounds of Grade C beans at $0.70 per pound.

Mixture Problem 2

A gardener has two fertilizers that contain

different concentrations of nitrogen. One is
3% nitrogen and the other is 11% nitrogen.
How many pounds of each should she mix to
obtain 20 pounds of a 9% concentration?
Answer: 5 pounds of 3% nitrogen and 15
pounds of 11% nitrogen.

Investment Problem

The bonds of Company A pay 8% interest

and the bonds of Company B pay 4%
interest. If a bondholder plans to invest
$20,000 to earn $1,400 interest, how much
should be invested in each bond?
Answer:$15,000 in Bond A and $5,000 in
Bond B to earn $1,400 interest.

Production-Mix Problem

Brand X requires 10 hours of labor and 20

units of raw materials to produce. Brand Y
requires 4 hours of labor and 10 units of raw
materials to produce. If 250 hours of labor
and 600 units of raw materials are available,
how many units of Brand X and Brand Y can
be produced?
Answer: 5 units of brand X and 50 units of
Brand Y can be produced.

Equalizing cost

United Products Co. manufactures

calculators and has plants in the cities of
Exton and Whyton. Athe Exton plant, fixed
costs are $7000 per month, and the cost of
producing each calculator is $7.50. At the
Whyton plant, fixed costs are $8800 per
month, and each calculator costs $6.00 to
product. Next month, United Products must
produce 1500 calculators. How many must
be made at each plant if the total cost at each
plant is to be the same?
Answer: 800 at Exton and 700 at Whyton.