College Math CLEP Prep Practice Exam

If the coefficients of two equations are interchanged, what happens to the solutions of the system?

1. They remain the same

2. They become complex

3. They are reversed

4. They are doubled

The correct answer is: They remain the same

When the coefficients of two equations are interchanged, the new system of equations essentially represents the same relationships as the original system. Therefore, the solutions of the system remain the same. Option B is incorrect because exchanging coefficients does not necessarily cause the solutions to become complex. Option C is incorrect because reversing the solutions would mean swapping the signs of each coefficient, which would still result in the same solutions. Option D is incorrect because doubling the coefficients would result in a different set of equations and potentially different solutions altogether.