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Solving Linear Equations

Solving Linear Equations

Teetering high above the floor, an amazing mobile remains aloft thanks to its carefully balanced mass. Any shift in either direction could cause the mobile to become lopsided, or even crash downward. In this chapter, we will solve equations by keeping quantities on both sides of an equal sign in perfect balance.

Sections

  • Solve Equations Using the Subtraction and Addition Properties of Equality — solving equations using the Subtraction and Addition Properties of Equality, solving equations that need to be simplified first, and translating word sentences and applications into equations to solve.
  • Solve Equations Using the Division and Multiplication Properties of Equality — solving equations using the Division and Multiplication Properties of Equality, and solving equations that require simplifying first.
  • Solve Equations with Variables and Constants on Both Sides — solving equations with constants, and with variables, on both sides.
  • Solve Equations with Fraction or Decimal Coefficients — solving equations with fraction coefficients and with decimal coefficients.

This chapter overview is adapted from Prealgebra 2e, Chapter 8 Introduction by Lynn Marecek, MaryAnne Anthony-Smith, and Andrea Honeycutt Mathis, © OpenStax, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Access the original for free at openstax.org. Changes: condensed the chapter introduction and recast the chapter outline as a section list.