Solve {l}{4x=-y/4}{8x+y=-2}

$$\left. \begin{array} { l } { 4 x = - \frac { y } { 4 } } \\ { 8 x + y = - 2 } \end{array} \right.$$

Solve for x, y

$$x=\frac{1}{4}=0.25$$

$$y=-4$$

Steps Using Substitution

Consider the first equation. Multiply both sides of the equation by 4.

$$16x=-y$$

Divide both sides by 16.

$$x=\frac{1}{16}\left(-1\right)y$$

Multiply \frac{1}{16} times -y.

$$x=-\frac{1}{16}y$$

Substitute -\frac{y}{16} for x in the other equation, 8x+y=-2.

$$8\left(-\frac{1}{16}\right)y+y=-2$$

Multiply 8 times -\frac{y}{16}.

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

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

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

Multiply both sides by 2.

$$y=-4$$

Substitute -4 for y in x=-\frac{1}{16}y. Because the resulting equation contains only one variable, you can solve for x directly.

$$x=-\frac{1}{16}\left(-4\right)$$

Multiply -\frac{1}{16} times -4.

$$x=\frac{1}{4}$$

The system is now solved.

$$x=\frac{1}{4},y=-4$$

Steps Using Matrices

Consider the first equation. Multiply both sides of the equation by 4.

$$16x=-y$$

Add y to both sides.

$$16x+y=0$$

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

$$16x+y=0,8x+y=-2$$

Write the equations in matrix form.

$$\left(\begin{matrix}16&1\\8&1\end{matrix}\right)\left(\begin{matrix}x\\y\end{matrix}\right)=\left(\begin{matrix}0\\-2\end{matrix}\right)$$

Left multiply the equation by the inverse matrix of \left(\begin{matrix}16&1\\8&1\end{matrix}\right).

$$inverse(\left(\begin{matrix}16&1\\8&1\end{matrix}\right))\left(\begin{matrix}16&1\\8&1\end{matrix}\right)\left(\begin{matrix}x\\y\end{matrix}\right)=inverse(\left(\begin{matrix}16&1\\8&1\end{matrix}\right))\left(\begin{matrix}0\\-2\end{matrix}\right)$$

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

$$\left(\begin{matrix}1&0\\0&1\end{matrix}\right)\left(\begin{matrix}x\\y\end{matrix}\right)=inverse(\left(\begin{matrix}16&1\\8&1\end{matrix}\right))\left(\begin{matrix}0\\-2\end{matrix}\right)$$

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

$$\left(\begin{matrix}x\\y\end{matrix}\right)=inverse(\left(\begin{matrix}16&1\\8&1\end{matrix}\right))\left(\begin{matrix}0\\-2\end{matrix}\right)$$

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.

$$\left(\begin{matrix}x\\y\end{matrix}\right)=\left(\begin{matrix}\frac{1}{16-8}&-\frac{1}{16-8}\\-\frac{8}{16-8}&\frac{16}{16-8}\end{matrix}\right)\left(\begin{matrix}0\\-2\end{matrix}\right)$$

Do the arithmetic.

$$\left(\begin{matrix}x\\y\end{matrix}\right)=\left(\begin{matrix}\frac{1}{8}&-\frac{1}{8}\\-1&2\end{matrix}\right)\left(\begin{matrix}0\\-2\end{matrix}\right)$$

Multiply the matrices.

$$\left(\begin{matrix}x\\y\end{matrix}\right)=\left(\begin{matrix}-\frac{1}{8}\left(-2\right)\\2\left(-2\right)\end{matrix}\right)$$

Do the arithmetic.

$$\left(\begin{matrix}x\\y\end{matrix}\right)=\left(\begin{matrix}\frac{1}{4}\\-4\end{matrix}\right)$$

Extract the matrix elements x and y.

$$x=\frac{1}{4},y=-4$$

Steps Using Elimination

Consider the first equation. Multiply both sides of the equation by 4.

$$16x=-y$$

Add y to both sides.

$$16x+y=0$$

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.

$$16x+y=0,8x+y=-2$$

Subtract 8x+y=-2 from 16x+y=0 by subtracting like terms on each side of the equal sign.

$$16x-8x+y-y=2$$

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

$$16x-8x=2$$

Add 16x to -8x.

$$8x=2$$

Divide both sides by 8.

$$x=\frac{1}{4}$$

Substitute \frac{1}{4} for x in 8x+y=-2. Because the resulting equation contains only one variable, you can solve for y directly.

$$8\times \frac{1}{4}+y=-2$$

Multiply 8 times \frac{1}{4}.

$$2+y=-2$$

Subtract 2 from both sides of the equation.

$$y=-4$$

The system is now solved.

$$x=\frac{1}{4},y=-4$$