Simultaneous equations

Tier: #Foundation #Higher

🔗What you need to know first
How to

Simultaneous equations are two (or more) equations with the same two unknowns. You solve them together to find values of both variables.

Method 1 — Elimination: multiply equations to make the coefficients of one variable the same, then add or subtract. $$2x + 3y = 11 \quad (1)$$ $$4x - 3y = 7 \quad (2)$$ Adding: $6x = 18$, so $x = 3$. Substitute: $y = \frac{11 - 6}{3} = \frac{5}{3}$.

Method 2 — Substitution: make one variable the subject of one equation and substitute into the other.

Solving graphically: plot both lines; the solution is the point of intersection.

Higher — one linear, one quadratic: substitute the linear into the quadratic and solve the resulting quadratic.

Common error: having the signs wrong when subtracting equations — watch out for negative coefficients.

Questions to practise

Practise these questions →

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📝Past paper questions
💬What the examiners say
  • "Surprisingly few students marked the graph to help them estimate the values."
  • "The approach of eliminating y to get an equation in x is more straightforward than eliminating x."
  • "Clear working is essential — answers without working gained no credit. The major misconception was knowing whether to add or subtract the equations to eliminate a variable."
⬆️How you can quickly improve
  • When the question says 'use the graph', find where the two lines intersect and read off both coordinates — don't attempt algebra.
  • When subtracting equations, write the subtraction line by line and put brackets around any negative terms to make sign changes visible.
  • When squaring a bracket in simultaneous equations with a quadratic, write it as two separate brackets and expand using FOIL.
💡Watch
ℹ️Calculator tricks

Your Casio has a built-in simultaneous equation solver. Press Menu → A (or find Equation/Func) and select option 1 and the number of unknowns is 2. Enter the coefficients from each equation and it gives you both answers instantly — great for checking your working.