 |
| ||
| |||
|
| Math Central | Quandaries & Queries |
|
Question from Nicolette, a student: I am working on linear programming problems that I need to solve pairs of linear equations for. I am confused and am not sure how to solve these problems! |
Hi Nicolette,
Your equations are set up nicely to use the substitution method.
5x + 3y = 7 (1)
y = x - 3 (2)
Equation 2 tells you that y is x - 3 so you can substitute x - 3 for y in the first equation.
5x + 3(x - 3) = 7
Simplification gives me
5x + 3x - 9 = 7.
Solve this equation for x and then substitute the value of x into equation (2) to find y. Once you have values of x and y you can substitute them into equation (1) to verify your answer.
I hope this helps,
Penny
| ||
| ||
| ||
 |
 |
|
Math Central is supported by the University of Regina and The Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences.