Problema Solution
Systems of equations can be solved by graphing or by using substitution or elimination. What are the pros and cons of each method? Which method do you
like best? Why? What circumstances would cause you to use a different method?
Answer provided by our tutors
Graphing:
Pro: gives you a visual picture of what's going on and is good for really big numbers
Con: if your graphing skills are not accurate or the solution is not at the intersection of a grid line, you have to estimate your answer.
Substitution:
Pro: Gives you an exact answer
Con: Sloppy calculations can cause incorrect answers and if one equation is not already solved for a variable (y = or x = ), you have to do extra work
Elimination
Pro: Works for any system of linear equations. After one or two steps you have a one-step equation to solve and you have half of your solution.
Con: Sloppy calculations can lead to incorrect solutions
If I need a rough idea of the solution, I would use graph. If one of the equations is already solved for y or for x, I would use substitution. If neither of the above is true, Than I would use elimination.