Substitution

• Substitution method is a method of solving a system of equations wherein one of

the equations is solved for one variable in terms of the other variables.

• The replacement of a term of an equation by another that is known to have the

same value in order to simplify the equation

• The uniform replacement of one expression by another

• The simplest method for evaluating limits. In the substitution method, you replace
x with another value.

Example 1:

Suppose you begin reading a book on page a and end on page b. If you read each page
completely and the pages are numbered and read consecutively, then how many pages have you
read?
(A) a + b (B) a – b (C) b - a + 2 (D) b - a – 1 (E) b - a + 1

Solution:
Without substitution, this is a hard problem. With substitution, it’s quite easy. Suppose you begin
reading on page 1 and stop on page 2. Then you will have read 2 pages. Now, merely substitute
a = 1 and b = 2 into the answer-choices to see which one(s) equal 2. Only b-a + 1 = 2 - 1 + 1 =
2 does. (Verify this.) The answer is (E).

Example 2:
If m is an even integer, then which of the following is the sum of the next two even integers
greater than 4m + 1?
(A) 8m + 2 (B) 8m + 4 (C) 8m + 6 (D) 8m + 8 (E) 8m + 10

Solution:
Suppose m = 2, an even integer. Then 4m + 1 = 9, which is odd. Hence, the next even integer
greater than 9 is 10. And the next even integer after 10 is 12. Now, 10 + 12 = 22. So look for an
answer-choice which equals 22 when m = 2.
Begin with choice (A). Since m = 2, 8m + 2 = 18.eliminate (A). Next, 8m + 4 = 20 eliminate (B).
Next, 8m + 6 = 22. Hence, the answer is (C).

Example 3:

The product of a number and 3 is twice the sum of that number and five.

(A) 10 (B) 12 (C) 8 (D) 6 (E) 4

Solution:

Let's assume that the number is 'x'. Then, the product of the number and 3 would be 3x.
Sum of the number and 5 would be: x+5
and twice this would be: 2(x+5) =2x + 10

Now the product of the number with 3 equals twice the sum of the number with 5.
So,
3x = 2x + 10
Let's solve for x:
3x = 2x + 10
3x - 2x = 10
x = 10

Plugging in

Sometimes instead of making up numbers to substitute into the problem, we can use the
actual answer-choices. This is called Plugging In. It is a very effective technique, but not
as common as Substitution.

Example 1:
Suppose half the people on a bus exit at each stop and no additional passengers board the bus.
If on the third stop the next to last person exits the bus, then how many people were on the
bus?
(A) 20 (B) 16 (C) 8 (D) 6 (E) 4

Solution:
Suppose there were 8 people on the bus choice (C). Then after the first stop, there would be 4
people left on the bus. After the second stop, there would be 2 people left on the bus. After the
third stop, there would be only one person left on the bus. Hence, on the third stop the next to
last person would have exited the bus. The answer is (C).

Example 2:
If
(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 5 (E) 8

Solution:
Plug in the answer choice in the given equation
Begin with choice( A)
. Hence eliminate A

. Hence B is the correct choice.

Example 3:
The sum of the digits of a two digit number is 12 the tens digit is twice the ones digit what is the
two digit number?
(A) 48 (B) 84 (C) 46 (D) 64 (E) 54

Solution:
Assign the digits in the number the letters a and b.
GIVEN: a + b = 12
GIVEN: a = 2b
Solve for b, then solve for a.
2b + b = 12
3b = 12
b=4
a = 2(4) = 8
The two digit number is ab=84

Practice Questions:

1. The difference of the digits of a two-digit number is 3.The tens' digit is 1 more than twice
the ones' digit What is this number?
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 5
(E) 8
2. The ten’s digit of a two-digit number is twice the unit’s digit. Reversing the digits yields a
new number that is 27 less than the original number. Which one of the following is the
original number?
(A) 12
(B) 21
(C) 43
(D) 63
(E) 83
3. If y is an even integer and x is an odd integer, which of the following expressions could
be an even integer?
(A)
(B)
(C) x + y
(D)
(E)
4. Find two consecutive odd integers such that three times the smaller one is the
sum of twice the larger one and twenty nine.

A) 28
B) 29
C) 30
D) 31