Solving Equations or Solution of Equations

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Year 7 Interactive Maths - Second Edition

Solution of Equations

Finding the value of a pronumeral that makes a statement true is said to be solving the equation.

In the following sections, we will consider solving equations involving addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Equations Involving Addition

Consider the equation

Clearly both the left-hand side and right-hand side equal 24. That is LHS = RHS.

If we subtract 8 from both sides of the equation, then we obtain:

LHS = 16 = RHS

We notice that the statement

remains a true statement when 8 is subtracted from both sides of the equation.

This suggests that equations behave like a balance. If the same mass is taken away from both scales of a balance, it still remains balanced. This implies that we can subtract the same number from both sides of an equation to get a new equation.

Consider the equation x + 3 = 7.

After subtracting 3 kg from both scales, the scales remain balanced.

From the preceding discussion, we can state that:

The same number can be subtracted from both sides of an equation.

Example 3

Solution:

Subtract 5 from both sides to find x = 7

Key Terms

solving the equation, equations behave like a balance

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