Solving Simultaneous Equations

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 24, 2022)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


2

David is facing the task of solving some simultaneous equations in Excel, most with ten variables or more. He asked if there were some resources he could reference that would be good for learning how to do this.

Working with simultaneous equations is not for the mathematically faint-of-heart. The easiest way to solve simultaneous equations is to use matrix math, which is built into Excel. Such tasks are definitely not in the realm of simple mathematics, and a full discussion of simultaneous equations would be beyond the scope of ExcelTips. There are, however, several good resources you can use to help bring you up to speed. The following three sites have been suggested as starting points by other ExcelTips subscribers:

http://www.duncanwil.co.uk/simult.html
http://educ.jmu.edu/~drakepp/spreadsheet/howto/matrices.pdf
http://homepage1.nifty.com/gfk/renritu-excel-e.htm

If you prefer to use printed books instead of online resources, you might try Guide to Microsoft Excel 2002 for Scientists and Engineers (ISBN 0750656131) in which simultaneous equations are addressed beginning on page 210. While this book is obviously for an older version of Excel, the techniques relative to simultaneous equations are still applicable to later versions of Excel. In fact, you could visit Amazon and simply search for "simultaneous equations" (with the quotes) and find a good number of potential sources for detailed information.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (3079) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

AutoFormatting a Document

The AutoFormat feature of Word can be configured to make changes to a variety of conditions in your document. Here's how ...

Discover More

Inconsistent Adding of Words to a Custom Dictionary

Custom dictionaries are a great way to adapt the spelling and grammar checkers to your needs. If you find that Word isn't ...

Discover More

Default Worksheet when Opening

When opening a workbook, you may want to make sure that a particular worksheet is always displayed first. The only way to ...

Discover More

Best-Selling VBA Tutorial for Beginners Take your Excel knowledge to the next level. With a little background in VBA programming, you can go well beyond basic spreadsheets and functions. Use macros to reduce errors, save time, and integrate with other Microsoft applications. Fully updated for the latest version of Office 365. Check out Microsoft 365 Excel VBA Programming For Dummies today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Condensing Sequential Values to a Single Row

If you have a bunch of ZIP Codes or part numbers in a list, you may want to "condense" the list so that sequential series ...

Discover More

Alphabetic Column Designation

Want to know the letters assigned by Excel to a particular column? Excel normally deals with column numbers, but you can ...

Discover More

Returning the Smallest Non-Zero Value

In a series of values you may need to know the smallest value that isn't a zero. There is no built-in function to do ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is three less than 4?

2022-09-26 05:47:20

Peter

I'm not sure the matrix method will work with nonlinear equations.
You could try the Solver Add-in.


2022-09-25 09:48:59

ES

the links are no longer good today
404 Not found

ES


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.