A system of equations refers to a number of equations with an equal number of variables. We will only look at the case of two linear equations in two unknowns. The situation gets much more complex as the number of unknowns increases, and larger systems are commonly attacked with the aid of a computer.
A system of two linear equations in two unknowns might look like
This is the standard form for writing equations when they are part of a system of equations: the variables go in order on the left side and the constant term is on the right. The bracket on the left indicates that the two equations are intended to be solved simultaneously, but it is not always used.
