🧩 Solving One-Step Equations

What is an Equation?
An equation is a mathematical sentence that shows two expressions are equal. It has an equals sign (=).
What does "Solving" mean?
Solving means finding the value of the variable that makes the equation true.
Inverse Operations:
OperationInverse OperationAddition (+)Subtraction (-)Subtraction (-)Addition (+)Multiplication (×)Division (÷)Division (÷)Multiplication (×)Golden Rule: Whatever you do to one side of the equation, you MUST do to the other side!

Multiplication Equations:
To solve 3z = 18, divide both sides by 3.
3z = 18
3z ÷ 3 = 18 ÷ 3
z = 6Division Equations:
To solve m/2 = 7, multiply both sides by 2.
m/2 = 7
m/2 × 2 = 7 × 2
m = 14

Why Check Your Answer?
Substituting your solution back into the original equation verifies that you solved correctly!
Steps to Check:
• Take the original equation
• Replace the variable with your solution
• Calculate both sides
• If both sides are equal, your solution is correct!

Example: Solve x + 8 = 15 → x = 7
Check:
• Original: x + 8 = 15
• Substitute x=7: 7 + 8 = 15
• 15 = 15 ✓ Correct!