Solving 3x3 Systems of Equations — 5-topic bundle

When you're dealing with a system of linear equations, you're looking for the point (or points) where all the lines (or planes, in 3D) intersect. For a 3x3 system, you're often looking for a single point in 3D space where three planes cross.

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When solving a 3x3 system of equations using elimination, your goal is to reduce the system down to a 2x2 system, and then eventually to a 1x1 system (a single equation with one variable).

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The substitution method is great for solving systems of linear equations, especially when it's easy to get one variable by itself. The goal is to reduce a system of multiple equations with multiple variables into a single equation with just one variable, which you already know how to solve!