Algebra 1

Section 7.2

Solving Systems of Equations Algebraically

Solutions to Systems of Equations

A system of linear equations consists of two linear equations describing relationships between
the same variables. A linear system of two equations with two variables can have a single solution,
infinitely many solutions, or no solution. If such a system has a single solution, it is in the form (a, b)
where a and b are constants and one of the variables (usually x) is equal to a and the other variable
(usually y) is equal to b.

A solution to a system of linear equations will satisfy all equations of the system so that when
the values of the solution are plugged in for the variables, the equations are true.

A system of linear equations can be solved using a variety of techniques, some of which are al-
gebraic and some of which are geometric or graphical. This section will consider algebraic methods of
solving linear systems of equations.

Recall that it is necessary to have two equations to solve a system with two variables.

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Solving by Substitution

In the method of substitution, a system is solved by solving a single equation for a single vari-
able. This will put that variable in the form of an expression in terms of the second variable, and this
expression can be substituted for the first variable in the second equation and combine like terms.. For
example, consider the system below.

2x + y = 5
3x 2y = 4
In the first equation, y doesnt have a coefficient and so will be easier to solve for. Solving for
y results in the equality y = 5 2x. Then, the right side of this equation can be substituted in the
second equation for y. This results in:

3x 2(5 2x) = 4
3x 10 + 4x = 4
7x 10 = 4.
Now this is a single linear equation with a single variable that can be solved simply. Adding 10
to both sides and dividing both sides by 7 yields x = 2. Now, this value for x can be substituted into
either of the equations that make up the original system.

Substituting x = 2 into the first equation yields 4 + y = 5, which is simply solved by subtracting
4 from both sides resulting in y = 1. Thus, the solution of this system of equations is (2, 1).

Applying this technique to the system below, we can solve the first equation for y.

y 2x = 1
2y = 4x + 4
This results in y = 2x + 1, which can be plugged into the second equation to get the following.

2(2x + 1) = 4x + 4
4x + 2 = 4x + 4
2 = 4.
Clearly, 2 6= 4, so there is no value for x such that both these equations are true. That means
the system has no solution. To tell if a system of equations has a solution or not, put both equations
into point-slope form and if the slopes are the same while the y-intercept of the lines (if they were to
be graphed) are different, the system has no solutions.

Doing this with the above problem, notice the two equations converted to point-slope form results
in the system below.

2
 y = 2x + 1

y = 2x + 2

The slope, or coefficient of x, for both lines is 2. However, the constant being added to the
x term, or the value that would be the y-intercept if the line were graphed, is different for the two
equations. This means, as we have shown by substitution, that the system has no solution.

However, if the slope and the constant being added to the x term is the same for both lines, the
system has an infinite number of solutions. Consider the system below.

y 2 = 3x

3y = 9x + 6

Solving the first equation for y reveals that y = 3x + 2. Then, plugging this into the second
equation results in the following.

3(3x + 2) = 9x + 6

9x + 6 = 9x + 6

Identical expressions are always equal, regardless of the value of x. Thus, any value for x would
solve this equation. Now, notice that any value of y such that y = 3x + 2 would solve the system
for a certain value of x. Thus, the system has infinite solutions such as (1, 5) and (2, 8). These so-
lutions can be verified by plugging in the respective values for x and y into the equations of the system.

Putting both equations of the system into point-slope form results in the following:

y = 3x + 2

y = 3x + 2

Notice the equations are the exact same, and thus there is not enough information to determine a
single, unique solution for the system. Two distinct equations are needed for a single solution (although,
recall, there may be no solution to the system even with two distinct equations).

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Solving by Elimination

A system of linear equations may also be solved by eliminating one of the variables of the equation.

Notice that 3 = 3, and 2 3 = 2 3 since 6 = 6. Similarly, if a = b, then na = nb for constants

a, b, and n. Additionally, 3 + 2 = 3 + 2 since 5 = 5, Thus, if a = b and m = n, then a + m = b + n
for constants a, b, m, and n. These facts may seem trivial, but they are useful when the variables are
replaced by longer expressions. It can be used for systems of equations to show that by multiplying
and adding any of the equations in a system, a solution to the initial system is still a solution of the
modified system. For example, consider the system of equations below.

2y + 1 = 3x

y 3x = 1

Multiplying both sides of the second equation by 2 does not change solutions to the equation and
results in 2y 6x = 2. Then, subtracting this modified equation from the first equation can eliminate
the y variable. This requires subtracting the respective sides of the equation, as shown below.

2y + 1 (2y 6x) = 1 + 6x

3x (2) = 3x 2

Then, setting these two expressions equal to each other results in the solvable equation of 1
variable shown and solved below.

1 + 6x = 3x 2

3x = 3

x = 1

Plugging this value for x into the first equation results in 2y + 1 = 3(1), or 2y + 1 = 3 which
when solved reveals y = 2. Thus, the solution to this system is (1, 2).

The same methods as listed in the previous section can be used for any system, regardless of the
method of solution, to find the number of solutions a system has. It is wise to see if a system has a
single, unique solution before attempting to solve it.

Either substitution or elimination can be used to solve a system of linear equations. If a single
equation looks easy to solve, substitution may be preferable. If a term with a variable matches in both
equations or one equation has the others term negated, elimination may be preferable.

4
Examples

Here are a few examples to test the concepts provided in this section. Answers can be found on
the following pages.

1. Solve the following system by substitution.

6x + 3y = 9

y = 2x + 7

2. Solve the following system by substitution.

5y = 6x

3x = 5y 2

3. Solve the following system by elimination.

2.5x = y 5

2y = 5x + 5

4. Solve the following system by elimination.

3y = 9x + 12

2y = 3x + 2

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Solutions

These are the solutions to the questions on the previous page

1. Note that the second equation already gives y in terms of x. Use this expression plugged in for
y in the first equation to get 6x + 3(2x + 7) = 9. This simplifies to 12x + 21 = 9. Subtracting
21 from both sides results in 12x = 12 so x = 1. Then, plugging this value into the second
equation yields y = 2(1) + 7 = 7 2 = 5. Thus, the solution to the system is (1, 5).

2. Divide both sides of the first equation by 5 to find y = 56 x. Then, plug this in for y in the second
equation to get 3x = 5 65 x 2 = 6x 2. Then, subtracting 3x and adding 2 to both sides yields
2 = 3x so x = 32 . Plug this value in to the first equation to get 5y = 6 23 = 4, so y = 54 . Thus,
the solution to the system is ( 23 , 45 ).

3. Rearrange the first equation to get y = 2.5x + 5 so that it is in the same form as the second
equation. Then, multiply the first equation by 2. This yields 2y = 5x 10. Add this
equation to the first equation (the y terms cancel) to get 0 = 10x 5. This equation can be
solved by adding 5 to both sides and dividing by 10 to get x = 21 . Plugging this value into
the second equation yields 2y = 5 ( 12 ) + 5 = 52 + 10 15 15
2 = 2 . Then y = 4 , and so the solution
1 15
to the system is ( 2 , 4 ).

4. Multiply the second equation by 3 to get 6y = 9x + 6. Then add this to the first equation (the
x terms will cancel) to get 9y = 18. Then dividing by 9 reveals that y = 2. Plug this in to the
first equation to get 3 2 = 9x + 12, or 6 = 9x + 12 so 9x = 6 and x = 32 . Thus, the solution
to the system is ( 23 , 2).