Posted by T.Gracken on October 27, 2002 at 07:43:49:
In Reply to: algebra problem posted by Tara on October 26, 2002 at 21:18:49:
: I am studying for an exam tomorrow and I cannot figure out how to do this problem. The equation is:
: x+2=5/3x Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Tara
this type of equation is called "a linear equation in one variable"
anytime you have this type of equation you can solve by following the steps given (in the given order)
1. if there are parenthesis containing + or -, use the distributive property to eliminate them.
2. if there are fractions, multiply each term (that is, everything separated by a + or - on both sides of the =) by a common denominator.
3. use addition and/or subtraction to isolate all terms with the variable. that is, get all the x's on one side of the equation
4. divide both sides of the equation by whatever is multiplied to the x.
...so,
for x+2=5/3x
step 1. skip since no parenthesis
step 2. multiply every term by 3 (the common denominator). you get
3x + 6 = 5x
step 3. subtract 3x from both sides to get all x's on left. you get
6 = 2x
step 4. divide both sides by 2 (the number multiplied to x). you get
3 = x (same as x = 3)
This procedure will allow you to solve any linear equation in one variable (and it's only 4 steps!)