The Math Property of EqualityThe equal sign used to be used for to signify an answer, now we use the math property of equality to solve equations.
In the figure below, you see a set of hands each containing $0.25. The left hand has a quarter, and the right hand has 2 dimes and a nickel. Both sides have different coins, but equal money.
New Use: $0.25 = $0.25! Equality says that I can perform an operation (add,
subtract, multiply divide) on my equation as long as I do the same thing to
both sides. Watch how I add $0.01 to each hand...
I now added one penny to each side of the equation. Because I did the same thing to both hands, they are still equal. $0.26 = $0.26!
In the illustration above, we used the property of equality by adding a penny to each side of our equation. Let's take a look at a few examples of how we can use the property to solve equations....
Addition Property:
Subtraction Property:
Remember, the math property of equality says that you can perform an operation to an equation, as long as you do the same thing on both sides!
You may want to look at how to solve a linear equation - in this page we will look at two step equations and go more in depth about the four properties above.
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