Hi and welcome to the Matladpi blog! In this post I will concentrate on equation solving basics.
Equations are used everywhere in math and science: for example, the kinetic and potential energy equations in physics, reaction equations in chemistry and linear equations in math.
In the basics we will concentrate on these linear equations. An equation with one argument can be basically written in the following way:
f(x) = g(x)
, where f(x) is the left side and g(x) is the right side of the equation. For example, if f(x) = x and g(x) = 1, we have
x = 1
As the equation sides both have an x as their arguments, this equation already shows an answer. Namely, x equals one, so one is an answer.
You may wonder what an argument is. It is the one whose answer we are looking for. The equation sides may also be dependent of it.
For example, if f(x) = x, f(2) = 2, if f(x) = x - 5, f(4) = 4 - 5 = -1 and if f(x)
= 4, f(30) = 4.
This f(x) can also be called a function that is dependent on x or has x as its argument.
In a basic equation, the equivalence relation must be fulfilled, so if you remove a constant (like 5) from one side, you must also remove it from the other, too. Same goes for addition.
If you multiply one side with a constant, you must also multiply the other one with this constant, too. The same goes for dividing the sides with a constant.
Zero is always a forbidden constant, what comes to the multiplication or division of the both sides of the equation. You should not divide or multiply both sides with an argument, either. This may remove or even create unwanted solutions and thus giving wrong answers as a whole. Njäf! said.
I am Jesse Sakari Hyttinen and I will see you in the next post!