Question

How can one 1/4x − 3 = 1/2x + 8 be set up as a system of equations?

Answer 1

You can set y = to each side of the equation, then multiply by the denominator and put into standard form.

Left side:
.. y = 1/4x -3
.. 4y = x -12 . . . . multiply by 4
.. 4y -x = -12 . . . subtract x

Right side:
.. y = 1/2x +8
.. 2y = x +16 . . . multiply by 2
.. 2y -x = 16 . . . subtract x

These equations correspond to selection B.