Chapter 3: Problem 81
Solve. $$ \begin{aligned} &\frac{x+y}{2}-\frac{x-y}{5}=1\\\ &\frac{x-y}{2}+\frac{x+y}{6}=-2 \end{aligned} $$
Short Answer
Expert verified
\(x = -\frac{32}{17}\) and \(y = \frac{266}{119}\)
Step by step solution
01
Simplify the Equations
Start by simplifying each equation to eliminate fractions. The first equation is \(\frac{x+y}{2}-\frac{x-y}{5}=1\) Multiply every term by 10 to get: \(5(x+y)-2(x-y)=10\)
02
Distribute and Simplify
Now distribute and simplify the equation. The first equation becomes: \(5x+5y-2x+2y=10\) Combine like terms to get: \(3x + 7y = 10\)
03
Simplify the Second Equation
For the second equation, \(\frac{x-y}{2} + \frac{x+y}{6}=-2\), Multiply every term by 6 to get: \(3(x-y) + (x+y) = -12\)
04
Distribute and Simplify Second Equation
Distribute and then simplify: \(3x-3y + x + y = -12\) Combine like terms: \(4x - 2y = -12\)
05
Solve the System of Equations
We now have the two equations: \(3x + 7y = 10\) \(4x - 2y = -12\) Let's use the method of elimination. Multiply the first equation by 2 and the second equation by 7: \(6x + 14y = 20\) \(28x - 14y = -84\) Add the two equations together: \(34x = -64\)
06
Solve for x
Divide by 34 to find \(x\): \(x = -\frac{64}{34}\) Simplify: \(x = -\frac{32}{17}\)
07
Substitute x and Solve for y
Substitute \(x\) into the first simplified equation: \(3(-\frac{32}{17}) + 7y = 10\) Simplify: \(-\frac{96}{17} + 7y = 10\) Combine \(\frac{-96}{17}\) into a single fraction with same denominator: \(7y = \frac{170}{17} + \frac{96}{17}\) \(7y = \frac{266}{17}\) Solve for \(y\): \(y = \frac{266}{(17 \cdot 7)} = \frac{266}{119}\)
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
System of Equations
A system of equations is a set of two or more equations with the same variables. The main goal when solving a system of equations is to find the values of the variables that satisfy all equations simultaneously. In our example, we have two equations involving the variables \(x\) and \(y\):
- \frac{x+y}{2}-\frac{x-y}{5}=1
- \frac{x-y}{2}+\frac{x+y}{6}=-2
Elimination Method
Among the methods to solve a system of equations, the elimination method is very effective when you want to eliminate one variable by combining the equations. Here's how it works:
- First, you multiply each equation by a number that allows one of the variables to be eliminated when the two equations are added or subtracted.
- In our example, we first simplified the original equations by eliminating fractions and then used multiplication to create coefficients that cancel each other out when adding the equations.
- We transformed our equations to: \(3x + 7y = 10\) and \(4x - 2y = -12\). By multiplying the first equation by 2 and the second by 7, we set up the system to add up and eliminate \(y\): \(6x + 14y = 20\) and \(28x - 14y = -84\).
- Adding these, we get \(34x = -64\), eliminating \(y\) and letting us solve directly for \(x\).
Fraction Simplification
Simplifying fractions is a key step in solving algebraic equations, especially when they appear in a system of equations. Fraction simplification involves finding an equivalent equation without fractions by multiplying all terms by the common denominator of the fractions involved.
In our equations:
In our equations:
- \frac{x+y}{2}-\frac{x-y}{5}=1
- \frac{x-y}{2}+\frac{x+y}{6}=-2
- 5(x + y) - 2(x - y) = 10
- 3(x - y) + x + y = -12
Distribution and Combination
Distribution involves multiplying each term inside a parenthesis by a factor outside the parenthesis. This is fundamental in algebra to simplify expressions. In our equations, after eliminating fractions, we distributed the terms as follows:
- \(5(x+y) - 2(x-y)=10\) becomes \(5x + 5y - 2x + 2y = 10\)
- \(3(x - y) + (x + y) = -12\) becomes \(3x - 3y + x + y = -12\)
- \(3x + 7y = 10\) by combining \(5x - 2x\) and \(5y + 2y\)
- \(4x - 2y = -12\) by combining \(3x + x\) and \(-3y + y\)