Skill: one-two-step-equations
Tutor Help: Equations
Stuck solving equations? Recap the method, try the self-help fixes, or preview a tutor request.
An equation is a balance: every move must hit both sides equally. One-step equations need one inverse operation; two-step equations undo in reverse order (+/− first, then ×/÷).
The two classic slips: using the matching operation instead of the inverse (adding when you should subtract), and dividing before clearing the +/− term in a two-step equation.
Checking by substitution is part of solving: put x back into the original equation and confirm both sides agree.
How to get unstuck in 5 minutes
- 1Re-read the lesson section that matches your problem.
- 2Work one practice problem with the hint turned on.
- 3Check your answer with the step-by-step tool.
- 4Still stuck? Use the demo request form below.
1 Quick self-help
Three fixes that solve most stuck moments.
Do not know which operation?
Ask: “what is glued to x?” Undo the loosest glue first — the +/− term — then the ×/÷. Reverse PEMDAS.
Negative answer feels wrong?
Negatives are fine — verify by substitution. If −4x = 20, then x = −5 because −4 × −5 = 20. The check decides, not the feeling.
x on the wrong side?
For a − x = c, add x to both sides first, then isolate. Never “move x across” in your head — write the step.
2 Common questions
Short answers to the questions tutors hear most.
Because PEMDAS built it ×-then-+, so you unbuild it +-then-×. Reverse order keeps each step valid.
Absolutely — x = −5 is a perfectly good solution. Substitute to confirm: −4(−5) = 20.
Clear the +2 first (x/4 = 3), then multiply by 4 (x = 12). Same reverse order.
3 Ask a tutor
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