Literal Equations (focus on linear)

What makes a literal equation different from a regular equation?

Choices:

A. It has only numbers

B. It includes variables that represent known values

C. It contains letters representing different variables ✅

D. It cannot be solved

• It has only numbers

• It contains letters representing different variables

• It cannot be solved

When solving a literal equation, what is the goal?

Answer explanation

The first step should be to eliminate the fraction by multiplying by its reciprocal, 2, on both sides of the equation. This gives us:

2A = bh

Then, we just need to divide both sides by b to isolate h.

What does it mean to “isolate” a variable?

• Substitute a number for it

• Get it by itself on one side of the equation

• Set it equal to zero

• Move all terms to one side