You know the drill you have a variable (let’s call her X), an equal sign, and some numbers on either side of that equal sign. The goal is to get rid of that ***** variable so we can solve for it.

But why do we even care? Well, let me tell ya, solving linear equations is like playing a game of math whack-a-mole. You’ve got your numbers popping up all over the place and you gotta smack ’em down with some fancy algebraic moves. And when you finally get that variable to reveal itself in its true form (which is usually just a number), it feels like a major victory!

So, how do we go about solving these equations? Well, there are a few different methods depending on the situation, but let’s start with the most common one: isolating the variable. This involves getting that ***** X all by itself on one side of the equation (leaving behind just numbers and operators on the other).

Here’s an example: 2x + 3 = 17

To solve for x, we want to get rid of those ***** 2xs and 3s so that X can shine all by itself. We do this by using some fancy algebraic moves (which are basically just math tricks). First, let’s subtract 3 from both sides:

2x + 3 3 = 17 3

Now we have: x + 0 = 14

Notice that the 3 and its corresponding negative sign (-3) disappeared when we subtracted them from both sides. This is because they were on opposite sides of the equation, so their effects cancel each other out! And now we’re left with just an X and a zero (which represents no variable).

But wait there’s more! We can actually simplify this even further by subtracting x from both sides:

x + 0 = 14

x x = 14 x

Now we have: 0 = 14 x

Notice that the X disappeared when we subtracted it from both sides. This is because they were on opposite sides of the equation, so their effects cancel each other out! And now we’re left with just a zero (which represents no variable) and an expression involving our original variable (-x).

So what does this all mean? Well, if x = 14, then -x must be equal to its opposite: -14. This is because when you subtract something from itself, the result is always zero! And since we’re left with a zero on both sides of our equation (0 = 14 x), it means that whatever value we plug in for x will make this expression true.

It may seem like a game of whack-a-mole at first, but with practice (and maybe some snacks) you’ll be able to solve these equations in no time!