Solving Linear Equations

Solving linear equations is the first step on your algebra journey..

This series of 3 minute math is designed as a quick reminder for some of the main topics. I hope they help to provide a focus and a way forward. If you need any more detail please search the site or contact me – always pleased to answer any questions!

All the very best with your studies.

 

Video Transcript:

“Hi and welcome to 3 Minute Maths and in this video we’re going to be looking at solving linear equations.

This is the first in a series and this orientation video is to give you some idea of how to solve linear equations.  In other words, what we mean to do is to find the value of ‘x’ in an algebraic equation.

So if we’re given something like this

6x +7=10

the goal is to find the value of x

Well there’s a couple of key principles to remember when you’re solving equations.  The first thing is that you always work down the page and around the equals sign.

Algebra is actually  ‘AL JEBR’ and it means ‘in balance’ so what we’re going to do is remain in balance when we work through these equations.

So if we have ‘x’ on one side and numbers on the other, in an ideal situation we’re going to make sure we have one value of x on one side and numbers on the other.

I need to get rid of the +7 on this left side and the way I’m going to do that is put -7 on each side.

This leaves me with 6x on the left and 3 on the right.

In order to get to one value of x on the left I divide 6x by x which gives me x.

On the right 3/6 can be simplified to 1/2 or 0.5 as a decimal.

That’s pretty much how you deal with linear equations, let me give you a quick example where we have brackets:

5(x+4) = 22

First thing to do is get rid of the brackets, so

5x + 5 x 4 becomes 5x + 20 = 22

then subtract the 20 from both sides

this gives 5 x on the left and 2 on the right

now divide both sides by 5 giving

x = 2/5 or if you prefer the decimal equivalent of 0.4

I hope that’s okay, this has been 3 Minute Maths and I look forward to seeing you inside the next video.”

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You might also be interested in: Linear equations with fractions