# MPM1D Returned your test; solving equations 2016-03-30

I returned your first test today. Please show your parents. Remember that if you didn’t get 70% or higher (28/40), that’s an indication that you aren’t really prepared to move on. I spoke very, very briefly with a few of you today, but I want more time to talk with anyone who didn’t meet that standard.

We’ve been reviewing how to solve “small” equations. We’ve talked about applying an inverse operation of addition or subtraction so that we can isolate a variable. For example, if our equation is

$x+8 = 20$

we can subtract 8 from each side. This will maintain equality (because we performed exactly the same operation on both sides of the equation), and it’ll still be true for the same value of $x$:

$x+8 -8 = 20 -8$

On the left side we simplify (useful skill, eh?) to get $x$, and on the right we get $12$. We can perform a check to verify that a value of $x=12$ really does make the original equation true.

For homework I gave you a practice sheet with eight or ten questions on it. Make sure it’s finished before class, and ask me about any questions you have before class starts.

Tomorrow we’ll learn how to handle more complicated equations like these:

$3x - 14 = 2x + 8$

(The basic strategy will be to get all our variable terms on one side of the equation and all the constant terms on the other side, then simplify)