Rearrange one of the equations to get x equals an equation in terms of y.3x+2y=4Take 2y away from both sides3x=4-2yDivide both sides by 3x=(4-2y)/3Substitute this into the other equation in place of x4((4-2y)/3)+5y=17Multiply through brackets(16-8y)/3+5y=17Multiply both sides by 3 16-8y+15y=51Collect like terms7y=35Divide both sides by 7y=5To get solution for x substitute the answer for y into one of the original equations3x+2*5=43x+10=4Collect like terms3x=-6Divide both sides by 3x=-2