From the course: Learning Algebra: Solving Equations

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Understanding multiplication equations

Understanding multiplication equations

From the course: Learning Algebra: Solving Equations

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Understanding multiplication equations

- Our next set of one-step equations will be multiplication equations. In this problem, we will solve for x. This says three x equals negative nine. In this problem, the number three is called a coefficient. A coefficient is a number that is multiplied by a variable. So we need to get rid of the coefficient three in order to get x by itself. Since we are multiplying, and how do we know we're multiplying? three x means three times x because there's no operational symbol Whenever there's no operation symbol, that means multiply. Since we're multiplying, we need to do the opposite operation which is divide. So we're going to divide on both sides by the coefficient which is three. Remember that whatever you do to one side of the equation, you must do to the other side. Three divided by three is actually one. And you may be thinking, well we need to get zero. But it's a little different when you're working with multiplication equations because we want our coefficient to be one because one…

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