Find the Value of the Unknown
Equations involve equal signs. Your mission is to make both values on each side equal each other. The main thing to remember is whatever you do on one side of the equation, you must do to the other. This means if you subtract 4 from the left side, then you must also subtract 4 from the right.
First, take care of any constants. You want to zero them out on the left side, but REMEMBER since you will be removing a value from the left, you must also do the same action on the right. Once the constants are gone, do the same to any variables.
Although checking your work is not necessary, it is highly recommended. Plus, it doesn’t take that long. You are just plugging the value that you found into the original equation to ensure that the value on the left does equal the value on the right. Liesel can confidently move on to the next problem because she sees her work is on point with 18 = 18.
Practical Applications of Algebra
Two types of algebra problems you might encounter are distance and work. Both problems will be similar as there will be two known numbers and one unknown.
Distance
distance = rate * time
Katrina is preparing for her first half-marathon. In her last practice run, she ran an average pace of 5 miles per hour for 0.5 hour. How many miles did she run?
From the problem above, we are given two pieces of information to fill in the missing third: x = 5 * 0.5. Using this equation, we know that Katrina ran 2.5 miles.
Work
total amount of work = rate * time
Sissy packs 45 orders per hour. How many hours will it take her to pack 260 orders?
You have the same situation as the first problem except the unknown has shifted. We know the amount of work and rate so set up the problem as: 260 = 45 * x. Using this equation, we know that it would take Sissy approximately 5.8 hours to pack 260 orders.