Post 9: Solving Multi-Step Equations

That last room sure put new perspective. Two-step equations no longer feel quite so intimidating to the pack.

Sage and the kids stroll into the next room with a little more confidence. The kids are even joking around and high-fiving one another. Their previous apprehension towards each other appears to be dissolving. This next room has another scale, but it covered in twisting vines. There are 3 specific vines on the scale and there are words inscribed on each one: Distribute, Combine, and Solve.

One of the kids snaps his fingers and says, "I've got it! Remember in class how we solve equations last year? First we distribute factors that are outside of the parenthesis, then we combine terms with variables, and terms without variables, then finally we solve for the variable! This is all the stuff we've practiced in the previous rooms too!"

Sage is so proud of the kids that he gives an encouraging "Bark!" and nuzzles the kid for reassurance.

Everyone looks more carefully at the scale and sees another equation balanced on the two sides. The left side of the scale has a tile for "2 * (x - 5) + 3x" and the right side has "15"

Now that you've got the hang of this, try it yourself. Click on a line below and start typing to write your math steps below. Press control/cmd and enter to add more math lines.

The kids have solved the problem and the entrance to the next room opens.

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Catch your algebra mistakes before they cost you

The scratchpad in this guide runs on moment.of.math — a free Chrome extension that checks your algebra line by line, on any problem. It can generate new variations problems, so you can get as much practice as you need. On many homework sites, it automatically detects the math on the page, so you don't have to copy anything over. Try it on tonight's homework.

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