Writing systems of equations as matrix equations

The  exercise appears under the Precalculus Math Mission. This exercise explores using matrices to represent systems of linear equations.

Types of Problems
There is one type of problem in this exercise:


 * 1) Find the values of the variables: This problem provides a system of equations, usually three equations and three unknowns, and a matrix that is intended to represent the system. The student is expected to find the values of the constant variables in the equations and the matrix.Wsoeame1.png

Strategies
Knowledge of using matrices to solve systems of linear equations is encouraged to ensure success on this exercise.
 * 1) In the matrix, the entries correspond to the coefficients of the variables and the answer in the system.
 * 2) This problem requires the student to take entries from the matrix into the equations and from the equation into the matrix.
 * 3) Writing out the matrix independently can help with accuracy on this problem, but not efficiency.

Real-life Applications

 * 1) Matrices are the foundational concept in linear algebra.
 * 2) Matrices can be a method for efficiently solving systems of linear equations.