document.write( "Question 49987This question is from textbook intermediate algebra
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Algebra.Com's Answer #33228 by AnlytcPhil(1807) $\"\"$ $\"About$

You can put this solution on YOUR website!

please tell me how to solve this problem. \r\n" );
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document.write( " x     y\r\n" );
document.write( "--- + --- = 1\r\n" );
document.write( " 8     2\r\n" );
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document.write( "Solve?  It has two unknowns, not just one.  So you can't solve and get \r\n" );
document.write( "just a single number value for either x or y. You didn't say what you \r\n" );
document.write( "are to solve it for.  Do you want to solve it for x?  Or solve it for \r\n" );
document.write( "y? Or graph it? \r\n" );
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document.write( "Suppose you want to solve it for one of the letters x or y:\r\n" );
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document.write( " x     y     1\r\n" );
document.write( "--- + --- = ---\r\n" );
document.write( " 8     2     1\r\n" );
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document.write( "The LCD is 8, so multiply every term, on the left and\r\n" );
document.write( "right by 8, written as 8/1\r\n" );
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document.write( " 8   x     8   y     8   1\r\n" );
document.write( "---·--- + ---·--- = ---·---\r\n" );
document.write( " 1   8     1   2     1   1\r\n" );
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document.write( "Do some cancelling:\r\n" );
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document.write( " 1         4\r\n" );
document.write( " 8   x     8   y     8   1\r\n" );
document.write( "---·--- + ---·--- = ---·---\r\n" );
document.write( " 1   8     1   2     1   1\r\n" );
document.write( "     1         1\r\n" );
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document.write( "The denominators are all 1's so you can just write\r\n" );
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document.write( "    x + 4y = 8\r\n" );
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document.write( "If you want to solve for y, then\r\n" );
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document.write( "        4y = 8 - x\r\n" );
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document.write( "Divide every term by 4\r\n" );
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document.write( "         y = 2 - x/4         \r\n" );
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document.write( "If you want to solve for x, then\r\n" );
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document.write( "         x = 8 - 4y\r\n" );
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document.write( "If you want to graph it, find and plot \r\n" );
document.write( "the two points:\r\n" );
document.write( "(0,2) and (8,0) and draw a line\r\n" );
document.write( "thru them\r\n" );
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document.write( "Edwin

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