Mastering the Art of Solving Literal Equations: A Step-by-Step Guide

literal equation

A literal equation is an equation that involves two or more variables

A literal equation is an equation that involves two or more variables. Unlike regular equations, where you typically solve for a single variable, literal equations allow you to solve for one variable in terms of the others.

Let’s take an example of a literal equation:

2x + 3y = 10

In this equation, ‘x’ and ‘y’ are the variables. To solve this equation, you need to isolate one variable on one side of the equation while keeping the other variable(s) on the other side.

Let’s solve this equation for ‘x’ in terms of ‘y’:

Step 1: Start with the equation 2x + 3y = 10.

Step 2: To isolate ‘x’, we need to move the 3y to the other side of the equation. We can do this by subtracting 3y from both sides:

2x + 3y – 3y = 10 – 3y

Simplifying, we get:

2x = 10 – 3y

Step 3: Now, to solve for ‘x’, we need to get rid of the coefficient ‘2’ by dividing both sides of the equation by ‘2’:

(2x)/2 = (10 – 3y)/2

Simplifying further:

x = (10 – 3y)/2

Therefore, we have solved the literal equation for ‘x’ in terms of ‘y’. This means that for any given value of ‘y’, we can plug it in the equation and find the corresponding value of ‘x’.

Remember, the process of solving literal equations involves isolating one variable on one side of the equation, but the specific steps may vary depending on the equation and the variable you are solving for.

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