Elimination Method
As illustrated in the given examples, the following are the steps in solving a system of two linear equations in two variables using the elimination method:
Consider the system of equations,
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Step 1.
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Decide which variable you want to eliminate. |
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Step 2.
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Multiply both sides of one equation by a number and both sides of the other equation by another number if necessary. Take note that the numbers by which you will multiply both sides of the equations should produce two new equations in which the coefficients of the variable to be eliminated will be additive inverses of each other. |
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Step 3.
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Add the two resulting equations to obtain a new equation that has only one variable. |
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Step 4.
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Solve for the value of the variable in the equation that you obtained in step 3. |
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Step 5.
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Solve for the value of the other variable by substituting the value of the variable you obtained in step 4 in either equation of the system of equations. |
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Step 6.
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Check the proposed solution by substituting the numbers in the equations of the given system. |
