UNIT OVERVIEW

Equations help us find unknown values. Here is a simple example:

You have some money. You buy a snack for R15, and now you have R25 left. How much did you start with?

In algebra, we write: $x - 15 = 25$

An equation is a mathematical statement that says two things are equal. The equals sign (=) shows that the left side and the right side have the same value.

In this unit, you will learn how to:

• Write equations from word problems
• Solve equations by inspection (looking at them)
• Solve equations using inverse operations (opposite operations)
• Solve equations by substitution (trying values)
• Solve equations using factorisation
• Work with equations where the product of factors equals zero
• Generate tables of ordered pairs from equations

Where equations are used:

• Shopping: "I bought 5 items for R100. How much each?" → $5x = 100$
• Age problems: "In 3 years, John will be 20." → $x + 3 = 20$
• Perimeter: "A square's perimeter is 40 cm. What's the side?" → $4x = 40$

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