Algebra For Beginners

algebra is the study of mathematical symbols and the rules for manipulating these symbols

it is a unifying thread of almost all of mathematics

To solve an algebra problem, you need to get all the variables on one side of the equals sign and all the whole numbers on the other side of the equals sign.

Variables are numbers we don't know.

ex. 5 + x = 10

x = 5

If the equation is, 8 + X = 56

Then the way we would do it is by subtracting 8 from both sides of the equals sign.

We would be left with: X = 56 - 8

That means X = 48

And we can check by adding X back into the equation.

8 + 48 does equal 56, therefore, we did the equation correctly!

addition equals subtraction

multiplication equals division

...and vice versa