09-Solving Equations with Fractions
It wouldn’t hurt to review all the operations with fractions and solving simple equations before diving into this post.
Add and Subtract, Multiply, Divide, Solving Equations
The concept for equations with fractions is the exact same. The two key words to remember are opposite operation. If the equation is adding, then you need to subtract to solve it. If the equation is multiplying, you need to divide to solve it. Simple, right? If you understand all the operations with fractions, and you understand solving equations, then yes, it is. Here are some examples:
Equation with addition:
Equation with subtraction:
Equation with division:
Equation with multiplication:
I purposefully put this one last because it’s probably the toughest because you actually have to switch operations twice. Remember, to solve, we would switch from multiplication to division, but then to divide fractions you have to invert and multiply. It all makes sense, but it does get a little hairy when it first comes to comprehending that.
If we were to add mixed numbers into the mix of this, it would be exactly the same, simply converting the mixed number to fraction form before doing any math.