How do i solve simultaneous equations?

simulatneous equations are solved by eliminating one of the unknowns such as x or y. there are a number of ways to do this such as substitution or subtraction/addition. For this example we will use subtraction addition as i always found that the easier method at GCSE since it often avoids fractions.e.g. 2y=3x+12 and 3y=5x+14we need to choose one of the two unknowns to eliminate and then find their lowest common denominator. I will choose x, where the LCD is 15 (35=15). now we multiply the entire equation through in order that the number in front of x (called the coefficient) is 15. in the first equation, we multiply through by 5.(25)y=(35)x+(125)10y=15x+60in the second equation we multiply through by 3 like before(33)y=(53)x+(143)9y=15x+42now both the coefficients of x are 15 so we can subtract one equation from the other(10-9)y=(15-15)x+(60-42)y=0x+18y=18we now have the y value, since x is now zero. to find the x value all we need to do is go back to one of the first equations and put the value y=18 into the equation to resolve for x.(218)=3x+1236-12=3x24=3xx=8and thats everything. By making sure we can subtract one equation from another to eliminate one of the unkowns we can subsequently obtain both values. in this case, y=18 and x=8 

MK
Answered by Matthew K. Maths tutor

5502 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

At a football game number of men : number of women : number of children = 13 : 5 : 7 There are 4152 more men than women. Work out the number of children at the game.


Using Pythagoras theorem to find side lengths of a triangle


Ben would like to buy two tickets for the theatre, each ticket costs £25 and there is a 15% booking fee applied to the ticket cost. How much does it cost him to buy the two tickets with the additional fee?


Solve (x/4)-(2x/x+2) = 1. Give your solutions to 2 decimal places. You must show your working.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning