Originally Posted by Lneal
Has anyone heard of the term "jumping the shark"? We learned about it today in adult ed class. It's used when solving equation problems. Do they make these rules up as they go or is this another thing to confuse my mind? :lol:
This is the problem: 5 = 51 - a
Help :idea:
Thanks, Linda
You need to solve for a. The = is like a teeter-totter; if you add something to one side, and add the same amount to the other side, it stays =.
To get a on the left side, add a to both sides.
5+a = 51-a+a
5+a = 51 (because -a+a on the right is zero)
To get a alone on the left, subtract 5 from both sides.
5+a-5 = 51-5
a = 51-5 (because 5-5 on the left is zero)
a = 46
Once you are used to this, you can do it all in your head. I would have immediately re-written the equation as:
a=51-5
a=46