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How Do You Solve a System of Equations Using the Elimination by Multiplication Method?

Find the solution to the following system of equations.
4x – 2y = 4 and 2x + y = 6

Summary

  1. We have 2 equations and 2 variables, so we've got a system of equations on our hands.
  2. Variables are unknown values, such as 'x' and 'y'.
  3. We can eliminate 'x' when adding the two equations together by multiplying 2x+y=6 by -2.
  4. After eliminating 'x', we are left with an equation that only has 'y'. This new equation can be solved in two-steps!

Notes

    1. When you've got multiple equations that share variables, you've got yourself a system of equations!
    1. Variables are unknown values, such as 'x' and 'y'.
    2. To make progress, you can try to combine the equations and eliminate one variable. In this system getting rid of x leaves an equation with only y, and solving an equation with 1 variable is easier than solving an equation with 2 variables!
    3. To get rid of x, we need to multiply 2x+y=6 by -2. Doing that will give us a -4x term, which will cancel with 4x when we add
    1. Variables are unknown values, such as 'x' and 'y'.
    2. To get rid of x, we need to multiply 2x+y=6 by -2. Doing that will give us a -4x term, which will cancel with 4x when we add
    1. Variables are unknown values, such as 'x' and 'y'.
    2. We find just one solution to this equation: x=2, y=2. We can write that as the ordered pair (2,2).
    3. Since there's only one solution to this system of equations, the system is called consistent and independent.