1. Solving Equations

2. What will happen if you add or subtract an equal amount of weight on both sides of the scales? Solving equations is like balancing scales, we must always keep the sides equal.

3. Solving equations is just a matter of undoing operations that are being done to the variable. In a simple equation, this may mean that we only have to undo one operation, as in the following example.

4. Example 1

5. In an equation which has more than one operation, we have to undo the operations in the correct order. We start with the operation the farthest away from the variable.

6. Example 2

7. Example 3

8. Example 4

9. Example 5

10. Example 6

11. Example 7

12. Suppose there are variables on both sides of the equation. The trick now, is to get the variables on the same side by adding or subtracting them.

13. Example 8

14. Just watch what happens 6n + 17 = 5 + 4n 6n = – 12 + 4n 2n = – 12 – 17 – 4n ÷ 2 n = – 6 6n + 17 = 5 + 4n 6n + 12 = 4n 12 = – 2n – 5 – 6n ÷ – 2 n = – 6 6n + 17 = 5 + 4n 2n + 17 = 5 2n = – 12 – 4n – 17 ÷ 2 n = – 6 It doesn’t matter where you start

15. Example 9

16. Example 10

17. Example 11

18. Example 12

19. Example 13

20. Example 14

21. Example 15

22. Example 16

23. Example 17

24. Example 18