Solving Equations

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What is an equation?

Back

An equation is a mathematical statement that asserts the equality of two expressions, typically containing one or more variables.

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What does it mean to solve an equation?

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To solve an equation means to find the value(s) of the variable(s) that make the equation true.

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What is a variable in mathematics?

Back

A variable is a symbol, often a letter, that represents an unknown value in an equation or expression.

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What is the principle of balancing equations?

Back

The principle of balancing equations states that whatever you do to one side of the equation, you must do to the other side to maintain equality.

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How do you isolate a variable in an equation?

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To isolate a variable, you perform operations to get the variable on one side of the equation and the constants on the other side.

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What is a linear equation?

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A linear equation is an equation of the first degree, meaning it has no exponents greater than one and graphs as a straight line.

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What does it mean if an equation has no solution?

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An equation has no solution if there are no values for the variable that can satisfy the equation.

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What does it mean if an equation has infinitely many solutions?

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An equation has infinitely many solutions if any value of the variable satisfies the equation.

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What is the distributive property?

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The distributive property states that a(b + c) = ab + ac, allowing you to multiply a single term by two or more terms inside a parenthesis.

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How do you combine like terms in an equation?

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To combine like terms, you add or subtract the coefficients of terms that have the same variable raised to the same power.