The three methods most commonly used to solve systems of equation are substitution, elimination and augmented matrices . Substitution and elimination are simple methods that can effectively solve most systems of two equations in a few straightforward steps.
the first step in solving an equation is to make the equation as simple as possible. This means that you need to start by using the golden rule of equation solving and the order of operations, PEMDAS, to make the expression on each side of the equals sign as simple as possible.