What is a possible first step to eliminate the variable x in the following system?
2x – 7y = 3
4x + 5y = –2

a.Multiply the first equation by 7.

b.Multiply the first equation by –2.

c. Multiply the second equation by 2.

d. Multiply the second equation by –3.

Question

What is a possible first step to eliminate the variable x in the following system?
2x – 7y = 3
4x + 5y = –2 

 a.Multiply the first equation by 7. 

 b.Multiply the first equation by –2. 

c. Multiply the second equation by 2. 

d. Multiply the second equation by –3.

anonymous · Answer

to eliminate x, the term in front of the x should be opposite (same number, but one + and one -)
doing a, c, or d will not help, it will only complicate the problem
but by doing B, you have opposite numbers and can easily solve using linear combination