GMAT Math : Solving linear equations with two unknowns

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GMAT Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #21 : Solving Linear Equations With Two Unknowns

Solve the following system of equations:

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

To solve, I used the elimination method by adding the tqo equations together. That eliminates y and leaves you with:

Therefore,

 

Example Question #22 : Algebra

Which of the following equations is parallel to the line given by the equation:

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

For lines to be parallel, their equations must have equal slopes. Therefore, we are looking for another line with a slope of -4/3. If we convert the equation:

into slope - intercept form, we get:

It has the same slope, and therefore is parallel to the original line.

Example Question #22 : Algebra

The equations  and  intersect at the point . What is y?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The easiest way to solve the problem is to solve for y in one of the equations and then plug it into the other equation:

We can then plug that x-value into one of the original equations:

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