Solving Systems of Linear Equations with Two Equations and Two Variables

Application #1: Budget Deficits For fiscal years 2003 and 2004, California and New York were the two states in the U.S. with the largest budget deficits. The deficit for California was $1 billion less than three times that of New York. Together the deficits of the two states totaled $47 billion. What were the deficits of each state? (Source: "States in a Sorry State", Business Week, March 17, 2003) * Set up the system and solve!

Application #2: Sports Fan Cost Index The Fan Cost Index (FCI) is a measure of how much it will cost a family of four to attend a professional sports event. In a recent year, the FCI prices for Major League Baseball and the National Football League totaled $311.03. The FCI for baseball was $105.87 less than that of football. What were the FCIs for these two sports? (Source: Team Marketing Report, Chicago) * Set up the system and solve!