document.write( "Question 797260: I have trouble with equations involving variables on both sides. This is a simple problem, but no one has shown me HOW to do it when I ask them for help. They do it for me instead.
\n" ); document.write( "x + 3 = 3x - 1
\n" ); document.write( "Now, I know the next step should look like this:
\n" ); document.write( "x + 3 = 3x - 1
\n" ); document.write( " + 1 + 1 =\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "x + 4 = 3x
\n" ); document.write( "I get stuck at this part... \n" ); document.write( "
Algebra.Com's Answer #481739 by josmiceli(19441)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
You probably should forget everything you
\n" ); document.write( "think you know about equations.
\n" ); document.write( "(1) Think of the = sign as a balance point, and
\n" ); document.write( "there has to be perfect balance of the left
\n" ); document.write( "side with the right side.
\n" ); document.write( "(2) That means that anything you do to one side, you
\n" ); document.write( "have to do the same thing to the other side.
\n" ); document.write( "(3) The trick to solving equations is to choose the
\n" ); document.write( "right things to do to both sides that will result in
\n" ); document.write( "this: ( unknown on one side ) = ( just numbers on the other side )
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\n" ); document.write( "If you have unknowns on both sides, what you have to do is
\n" ); document.write( "get the unknowns all on the left side ( or all on the right side )
\n" ); document.write( "while obeying (1) and (2) above.
\n" ); document.write( "----------------------------
\n" ); document.write( "You have:
\n" ); document.write( "\"+x+%2B+3+=++3x+-+1+\"
\n" ); document.write( "Now you could choose to get rid of the \"+3x+\" on the right
\n" ); document.write( "side, but it's better to get rid of the \"+x+\" on the left side.
\n" ); document.write( "-----------------------------
\n" ); document.write( "Subtract \"+x+\" from both sides. That keeps the perfect balance.
\n" ); document.write( "\"+x+%2B+3+=+3x+-+1+\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"+-x++++++=+-x+\"
\n" ); document.write( "-----------------
\n" ); document.write( "Doing the subtraction, you get
\n" ); document.write( "\"+3+=+2x+-+1+\"
\n" ); document.write( "-----------------
\n" ); document.write( "You're still not quite there.
\n" ); document.write( "You want the unknown all by itself, so
\n" ); document.write( "add \"+1+\" to both sides
\n" ); document.write( "\"+3+=+2x+-+1+\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"+1+=+1+\"
\n" ); document.write( "----------
\n" ); document.write( "Doing the addition:
\n" ); document.write( "\"+4+=+2x+\"
\n" ); document.write( "-----------
\n" ); document.write( "Still not quite there. Divide both sides by \"+2+\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"+4%2F2+=+%282x%29%2F2+\"
\n" ); document.write( "----------------
\n" ); document.write( "Doing the division:
\n" ); document.write( "\"+2+=+x+\"
\n" ); document.write( "And you are done
\n" ); document.write( "------------------
\n" ); document.write( "You did 3 steps: 1 subtraction, 1 addition, 1 division,
\n" ); document.write( "but the equation stayed balanced each time.
\n" ); document.write( "-------------------
\n" ); document.write( "Now check your work, Plug \"+x+=+2+\" into the original problem
\n" ); document.write( "\"+x+%2B+3+=++3x+-+1+\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"+2+%2B+3+=++3%2A2+-+1+\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"+5+=+6+-+1+\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"+5+=+5+\"
\n" ); document.write( "OK
\n" ); document.write( "Hope this helps\r
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