Creating an Excel File

• 1). Open Microsoft Excel and press "Ctrl-N" to create a new document.
  
  
• 2). Click on the cell "A3" and press the key "=" on the keyboard. Type the following string "A1*B2-A2*B1" and press "Enter."
  
  
• 3). Click on the cell "B3" and press the key "=" on the keyboard. Type the following string "C1*B2-C2*B1" and press "Enter."
  
  
• 4). Click on the cell "C3" and press the key "=" on the keyboard. Type the following string "A1*C2-A2*C1" and press "Enter."
  
  
• 5). Click on the cell "A5" and press the key "=" on the keyboard. Type the following string "B3/A3" and press "Enter."
  
  
• 6). Click on the cell "C5" and press the key "=" on the keyboard. Type the following string "C3/A3" and press "Enter."
  
  
• 7). Select the cells "A5" through "C5" by holding the left mouse button. Then release the mouse button. Right-click on the select cells and choose "Format Cells." Select the tab "Number."
  
  
• 8). Select "Number" under "Category." Type "3" in the field "decimal places" and click "OK." Note that equation solution values will be displayed as rounded to thousandth. This precision is sufficient in the most cases.
  
  
• 9). Press "Ctrl-S." Type a descriptive file name, for example, "Solve Equations" and press "Save" for saving the file on your computer.
  
  

Solving the System of Equations

• 1). Open Microsoft Excel and press "Ctrl-O." Browse your computer and open the file created in Section 1.
  
  
• 2). Enter the coefficients of the first equation ("a1" "b1" and "c1") in the cells "A1," "B1," and "C1" of the file. For our example, type "4" "-5" and "14" in those cells.
  
  
• 3). Enter the coefficients of the second equation ("a2" "b2" and "c2") in the cells "A2," "B2," and "C2" of the file. For this example, type "3" "-8" and "-16" in those cells.
  
  
• 4). Read the equation solution that becomes available instantly. The values of the variables "X" and "Y" will be displayed in the cell "A5" and "C5" respectively. In this example, "X" = 11.294 and "Y"= 6.235.