Chapter 8: Solving Linear Equations

An image of a calder mobile is shown. It has several black and red geometric shapes hanging down. — **Figure 8.1** A Calder mobile is balanced and has several elements on each side.A Calder mobile is balanced and has several elements on each side. (credit: paurian, Flickr)

Teetering high above the floor, this amazing mobile remains aloft thanks to its carefully balanced mass. Any shift in either direction could cause the mobile to become lopsided, or even crash downward. In this chapter, we will solve equations by keeping quantities on both sides of an equal sign in perfect balance.

Adapted from Prealgebra 2e by OpenStax (openstax.org), licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Changes were made. License: CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0.