Think about a balance, like a see-saw or a scale. If both sides have the same weight, everything stays balanced. If you add the same amount of weight to both sides, it still balances.

Equations work the same way. An equation is balanced, and it only stays true if you do the same thing to both sides. If you add, subtract, multiply, or divide on one side, you have to do it on the other side too.

In this unit, you’ll practice solving equations by keeping them balanced every step of the way.
Remember: whatever you do to one side of the equation, you must also do to the other side.