Thread: opinion, systems of equations

Which method do you prefer to use when solving systems of equations: elimination or substitution? Please discuss.

Buffmaster,

Please do not post the same question in more than one forum.

I prefer solving for one unknown in terms of the others and then using substitution.

There are other fancy ways like using matrices that are very easy and do not require a lot of work, but I always do it the old fashioned way.

Originally Posted by buffmaster9

Which method do you prefer to use when solving systems of equations: elimination or substitution? Please discuss.

It depends on how many unknowns there are and whether or not it would be more convenient to use substitution rather than elimination. In cases when substitution appears easier, I use it, but when there are more than 2 unknowns I have to use elimination.

Aren't they basically the same? E.g.:

x+2y=3
x-y=0

by substitution:
y+2y=3, y=1.

by elimination:
2y+y=3, y=1.