Solve {l}{3x=x-y+3}{2=y-x}

$$\left. \begin{array} { l } { 3 x = x - y + 3 } \\ { 2 = y - x } \end{array} \right.$$

Solve for x, y

$$x=\frac{1}{3}\approx 0.333333333$$

$$y = \frac{7}{3} = 2\frac{1}{3} \approx 2.333333333$$

Steps Using Substitution

Consider the first equation. Subtract x from both sides.

$$3x-x=-y+3$$

Combine 3x and -x to get 2x.

$$2x=-y+3$$

Divide both sides by 2.

$$x=\frac{1}{2}\left(-y+3\right)$$

Multiply \frac{1}{2} times -y+3.

$$x=-\frac{1}{2}y+\frac{3}{2}$$

Substitute \frac{-y+3}{2} for x in the other equation, -x+y=2.

$$-\left(-\frac{1}{2}y+\frac{3}{2}\right)+y=2$$

Multiply -1 times \frac{-y+3}{2}.

$$\frac{1}{2}y-\frac{3}{2}+y=2$$

Add \frac{y}{2} to y.

$$\frac{3}{2}y-\frac{3}{2}=2$$

Add \frac{3}{2} to both sides of the equation.

$$\frac{3}{2}y=\frac{7}{2}$$

Divide both sides of the equation by \frac{3}{2}, which is the same as multiplying both sides by the reciprocal of the fraction.

$$y=\frac{7}{3}$$

Substitute \frac{7}{3} for y in x=-\frac{1}{2}y+\frac{3}{2}. Because the resulting equation contains only one variable, you can solve for x directly.

$$x=-\frac{1}{2}\times \frac{7}{3}+\frac{3}{2}$$

Multiply -\frac{1}{2} times \frac{7}{3} by multiplying numerator times numerator and denominator times denominator. Then reduce the fraction to lowest terms if possible.

$$x=-\frac{7}{6}+\frac{3}{2}$$

Add \frac{3}{2} to -\frac{7}{6} by finding a common denominator and adding the numerators. Then reduce the fraction to lowest terms if possible.

$$x=\frac{1}{3}$$

The system is now solved.

$$x=\frac{1}{3},y=\frac{7}{3}$$

Steps Using Matrices

Consider the first equation. Subtract x from both sides.

$$3x-x=-y+3$$

Combine 3x and -x to get 2x.

$$2x=-y+3$$

Add y to both sides.

$$2x+y=3$$

Consider the second equation. Swap sides so that all variable terms are on the left hand side.

$$y-x=2$$

Put the equations in standard form and then use matrices to solve the system of equations.

$$2x+y=3,-x+y=2$$

Write the equations in matrix form.

$$\left(\begin{matrix}2&1\\-1&1\end{matrix}\right)\left(\begin{matrix}x\\y\end{matrix}\right)=\left(\begin{matrix}3\\2\end{matrix}\right)$$

Left multiply the equation by the inverse matrix of \left(\begin{matrix}2&1\\-1&1\end{matrix}\right).

$$inverse(\left(\begin{matrix}2&1\\-1&1\end{matrix}\right))\left(\begin{matrix}2&1\\-1&1\end{matrix}\right)\left(\begin{matrix}x\\y\end{matrix}\right)=inverse(\left(\begin{matrix}2&1\\-1&1\end{matrix}\right))\left(\begin{matrix}3\\2\end{matrix}\right)$$

The product of a matrix and its inverse is the identity matrix.

$$\left(\begin{matrix}1&0\\0&1\end{matrix}\right)\left(\begin{matrix}x\\y\end{matrix}\right)=inverse(\left(\begin{matrix}2&1\\-1&1\end{matrix}\right))\left(\begin{matrix}3\\2\end{matrix}\right)$$

Multiply the matrices on the left hand side of the equal sign.

$$\left(\begin{matrix}x\\y\end{matrix}\right)=inverse(\left(\begin{matrix}2&1\\-1&1\end{matrix}\right))\left(\begin{matrix}3\\2\end{matrix}\right)$$

For the 2\times 2 matrix \left(\begin{matrix}a&b\\c&d\end{matrix}\right), the inverse matrix is \left(\begin{matrix}\frac{d}{ad-bc}&\frac{-b}{ad-bc}\\\frac{-c}{ad-bc}&\frac{a}{ad-bc}\end{matrix}\right), so the matrix equation can be rewritten as a matrix multiplication problem.

$$\left(\begin{matrix}x\\y\end{matrix}\right)=\left(\begin{matrix}\frac{1}{2-\left(-1\right)}&-\frac{1}{2-\left(-1\right)}\\-\frac{-1}{2-\left(-1\right)}&\frac{2}{2-\left(-1\right)}\end{matrix}\right)\left(\begin{matrix}3\\2\end{matrix}\right)$$

Do the arithmetic.

$$\left(\begin{matrix}x\\y\end{matrix}\right)=\left(\begin{matrix}\frac{1}{3}&-\frac{1}{3}\\\frac{1}{3}&\frac{2}{3}\end{matrix}\right)\left(\begin{matrix}3\\2\end{matrix}\right)$$

Multiply the matrices.

$$\left(\begin{matrix}x\\y\end{matrix}\right)=\left(\begin{matrix}\frac{1}{3}\times 3-\frac{1}{3}\times 2\\\frac{1}{3}\times 3+\frac{2}{3}\times 2\end{matrix}\right)$$

Do the arithmetic.

$$\left(\begin{matrix}x\\y\end{matrix}\right)=\left(\begin{matrix}\frac{1}{3}\\\frac{7}{3}\end{matrix}\right)$$

Extract the matrix elements x and y.

$$x=\frac{1}{3},y=\frac{7}{3}$$

Steps Using Elimination

Consider the first equation. Subtract x from both sides.

$$3x-x=-y+3$$

Combine 3x and -x to get 2x.

$$2x=-y+3$$

Add y to both sides.

$$2x+y=3$$

Consider the second equation. Swap sides so that all variable terms are on the left hand side.

$$y-x=2$$

In order to solve by elimination, coefficients of one of the variables must be the same in both equations so that the variable will cancel out when one equation is subtracted from the other.

$$2x+y=3,-x+y=2$$

Subtract -x+y=2 from 2x+y=3 by subtracting like terms on each side of the equal sign.

$$2x+x+y-y=3-2$$

Add y to -y. Terms y and -y cancel out, leaving an equation with only one variable that can be solved.

$$2x+x=3-2$$

Add 2x to x.

$$3x=3-2$$

Add 3 to -2.

$$3x=1$$

Divide both sides by 3.

$$x=\frac{1}{3}$$

Substitute \frac{1}{3} for x in -x+y=2. Because the resulting equation contains only one variable, you can solve for y directly.

$$-\frac{1}{3}+y=2$$

Add \frac{1}{3} to both sides of the equation.

$$y=\frac{7}{3}$$

The system is now solved.

$$x=\frac{1}{3},y=\frac{7}{3}$$