# Cant find answer, too many variables

• October 25th 2009, 02:51 AM
raimundas
Cant find answer, too many variables
How to calculated x1, x2 or x2/x1? When:

Time 1 Time 2
x/y = 0.9004 0.9141
x/z = 1.5015 1.5026
y/z = 1.6676 1.6438
x/c = 137.9053 137.9011
y/c = 153.1600 150.8600
z/c = 91.8450 91.7750
• October 25th 2009, 03:32 AM
craig
Quote:

Originally Posted by raimundas
How to calculated x1, x2 or x2/x1? When:

Time 1 Time 2
x/y = 0.9004 0.9141
x/z = 1.5015 1.5026
y/z = 1.6676 1.6438
x/c = 137.9053 137.9011
y/c = 153.1600 150.8600
z/c = 91.8450 91.7750

From what I can see you have 4 variables, $x y z c$ and 6 equations, how is this too many variables?
• October 25th 2009, 07:33 AM
HallsofIvy
Quote:

Originally Posted by raimundas
How to calculated x1, x2 or x2/x1? When:

Time 1 Time 2
x/y = 0.9004 0.9141
x/z = 1.5015 1.5026
y/z = 1.6676 1.6438
x/c = 137.9053 137.9011
y/c = 153.1600 150.8600
z/c = 91.8450 91.7750

Actually, your problem is not that there are "two many variables" in the equations but that the ones you want are NOT in the equations!

You are asking for values of x1 and x2 but there no x1, x2 in the equations. What is the relation between x1, x2 and x, y, z, c?
• October 25th 2009, 09:17 AM
Soroban
Hello, raimundas!

Quote:

How to calculate $x_1,\:x_2,\:\text{ or }\:\frac{x_2}{x_1}$

When:

, $\begin{array}{c||c|c|}\hline
& \;\text{time 1}\: & \;\text{time 2}\: \\ \hline \hline \\[-4mm]

\dfrac{x}{y} & 0.9004 & 0.9141 \\ \\[-4mm] \hline \\[-4mm]
\dfrac{x}{z} & 1.5015 & 1.5026 \\ \\[-4mm] \hline \\[-4mm]
\dfrac{y}{z} & 1.6676 & 1.6438 \\ \\[-4mm] \hline \\[-4mm]
\dfrac{x}{c} & 137.9053 & 137.9011 \end{array}$

- $\begin{array}{c||c|c|}\hline \\[-4mm]
\dfrac{y}{c} & 153.1600 & 150.8600 \\ \\[-4mm] \hline \\[-4mm]
\dfrac{z}{c} & 91.8450 & 91.7750 \\ \\[-4mm] \hline
\end{array}$

HallsofIvy already pointed out the unrelated variables.

What does "time 1" and "time 2" represent?
Are we expected to solve two systems of equations?

It all may clear up if you post the original problem.

• October 28th 2009, 12:06 PM
raimundas