Answer:
· Use properties of equality together to isolate variables and solve algebraic equations.
· Use the properties of equality and the distributive property to solve equations containing parentheses, fractions, and/or decimals.
Introduction
There are some equations that you can solve in your head quickly. For example – what is the value of y in the equation 2y = 6? Chances are you didn’t need to get out a pencil and paper to calculate that y = 3. You only needed to do one thing to get the answer, divide 6 by 2.
Other equations are more complicated. Solving without writing anything down is difficult! That’s because this equation contains not just a variable but also fractions and terms inside parentheses. This is a multi-step equation, one that takes several steps to solve. Although multi-step equations take more time and more operations, they can still be simplified and solved by applying basic algebraic rules.
Using Properties of Equalities
Remember that you can think of an equation as a balance scale, with the goal being to rewrite the equation so that it is easier to solve but still balanced. The addition property of equality and the multiplication property of equality explain how you can keep the scale, or the equation, balanced. Whenever you perform an operation to one side of the equation, if you perform the same exact operation to the other side, you’ll keep both sides of the equation equal.
If the equation is in the form, ax + b = c, where x is the variable, you can solve the equation as before. First “undo” the addition and subtraction, and then “undo” the multiplication and division.
Step-by-step explanation:
