Posted by Tara on October 27, 2002 at 09:16:33:
In Reply to: a little proceedure for you posted by T.Gracken on October 27, 2002 at 07:43:49:
: : 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!)
Thanks A Lot for your help, I understand it now!-Tara