If the rate constants for the following reaction are  and ; , then the rate equation is:
:For reactant A: 
:For reactant B: 
:For product C: 
With the individual concentrations scaled by the total population of reactants to become probabilities, linear systems of differential equations such as these can be formulated as a master equation. The differential equations can be solved analytically and the integrated rate equations are
The steady state approximation leads to very similar results in an easier way.