Simultaneous Equations Math Practice Quiz
What are simultaneous equations and how to solve them?
A simultaneous equation is a set of two or more equations that contain multiple variables. These equations are called simultaneous because they are meant to be solved at the same time.
Here’s an example of a set of simultaneous equations:
Equation 1: 2x + 3y = 8 Equation 2: x – y = 1
To solve these equations, we need to find the values of x and y that make both equations true at the same time. One way to do this is by using the substitution method.
First, we can solve one of the equations for one of the variables. Let’s solve the second equation for y:
x – y = 1 y = x – 1
Now, we can substitute this expression for y in the first equation:
2x + 3(x – 1) = 8
We can then simplify this equation by combining like terms:
2x + 3x – 3 = 8 5x – 3 = 8 5x = 11 x = 11/5
Now that we know the value of x, we can substitute it back into one of the original equations to find the value of y. Let’s use the second equation:
x – y = 1 (11/5) – y = 1 y = 1 – (11/5) y = 6/5
So, the solution to this set of simultaneous equations is x = 11/5 and y = 6/5.
That’s one way to solve simultaneous equations. There are also other methods you can use, like graphing or using matrices. But the substitution method is often a good place to start because it’s fairly easy to understand and usually works well for a small number of equations.