Firstoff,letslookatthatbottomleftcorner.

Whatdowehave
happeningthere?
Twoanglesaremarked.OneofthemisequaltoX,andtheotheris
equalto2S.Noticeanythingelse?Theseareverticalangles!Bythe
definitionofverticalangles,Xand2Smustbeequal.Wecanmodelthis
withanequation:

X=2S

Thatsoneequation.Wellneedatleastonemoretosolvefortwo
variables.Soletslookatthetoprightcorner.Whatdowehavehappening
there?
Threeanglesaremarked.Oneofthemiswithanumber:90.The
othertwoaremarked2XandS.Noticeanythingelse?Thesethree
adjacentanglesarealsolinearpairs(alineartriple?)!Bythedefinitionof
linearpairs(lineartriples),thesumof90,2X,andSmustbe180.Wecan
modelthiswithanequation:

90+2X+S=180

Andnowwehavethetwoequationsweneedtodeterminethe
valuesofXandS.

ThefirstequationgivesusadirectvalueofXintermsofS,sowe
cansubstitutethatinthesecondequation:

90+2(2S)+S=180

NextwesolveforS:

90+4S+S=180
90+5S=180
5S=90
S=18

Good,nowwehaveS.TofindX,wesimplysubstituteintothefirst
equationandsolve:

X=2(18)
X=36

Nowwehaveoursolution.X=36andS=18.

Done.