Solve the system of equations.

3x - 4y = 40
5x - 5y = 55

1 answer

To solve the system of equations given by:

  1. \( 3x - 4y = 40 \)
  2. \( 5x - 5y = 55 \)

we can use the method of substitution or elimination. Here, I'll use the elimination method.

First, we can simplify the second equation:

\[ 5x - 5y = 55 \implies x - y = 11 \quad \text{(divide everything by 5)} \]

Now we have:

  1. \( 3x - 4y = 40 \)
  2. \( x - y = 11 \)

From the second equation, we can express \( x \) in terms of \( y \):

\[ x = y + 11 \]

Now substitute this expression for \( x \) into the first equation:

\[ 3(y + 11) - 4y = 40 \]

Distributing \( 3 \):

\[ 3y + 33 - 4y = 40 \]

Now combine like terms:

\[ -1y + 33 = 40 \]

Subtract 33 from both sides:

\[ -y = 7 \]

Now, multiply both sides by -1:

\[ y = -7 \]

Now that we have \( y \), we substitute back to find \( x \):

\[ x = y + 11 = -7 + 11 = 4 \]

Thus, the solution to the system of equations is:

\[ \boxed{(4, -7)} \]

To verify, we can substitute these values back into the original equations:

  1. \( 3(4) - 4(-7) = 12 + 28 = 40 \) (True)
  2. \( 5(4) - 5(-7) = 20 + 35 = 55 \) (True)

Since both equations hold true, our solution \( (4, -7) \) is confirmed correct.