Linear equations get their name because when
plotted on a graph they always produce a simple straight line. They are
different to quadratic equations, which when plotted always produce a curve (a
parabola).
An equation we can solve will usually have
only a single unknown (a single letter) in it. For a linear equation there will
only be a single possible number that letter can represent.
The method for solving the equation will
change depending on the equation you’re given, and its complexity, but the
basic tools will always be simplifying both sides where possible, and
rearranging terms (using inverse operations). You are aiming to get x to one
side of the equation and all the numbers on to the other side of the equation.
This website has lots of examples of the
methods for solving equations. At the bottom are questions like the ones we did
in class (containing fractions).
Why don’t you
try this Equation Sudoku for fun?