{"id":74,"date":"2020-09-05T05:35:53","date_gmt":"2020-09-05T05:35:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/?p=74"},"modified":"2023-07-03T10:59:48","modified_gmt":"2023-07-03T10:59:48","slug":"what-is-an-equation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/what-is-an-equation\/","title":{"rendered":"What is an Equation &#8211; Math Open Reference"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In mathematics, an <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Equation\">equation <\/a>is a statement that two expressions are equal. It consists of two expressions on the left and right sides of the \u201cequals\u201d symbol.  There are different math equations. Below is an example of a math equation,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">7+8=15 <\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The equation states that 7 + 8 is equal to 15. The most common <a href=\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/math-equations\/\">math equations<\/a> include one or more variables (symbols that represent unknowns). For example,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x=15+25<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Since both sides of the equations must be equal, <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\"> x=37<\/span>.  There is only one value of  <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\"> x <\/span> that makes the equation true. This means 37 satisfies the equation. The way of finding the value(s) of a variable that satisfies an equation is called \u201csolving the equation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is a common mistake to think that an expression is an equation like <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x^2+y^2-7. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Expressions do not assert equality. Remember, an equation must have an equal sign and it must be true.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"blue wp-block-heading\">Common Types of Algebraic Math Equations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a lot of types of mathematical equations. Algebraic, transcendental, parametric, differential, integral, are a few of the different types of equations. This article will focus on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/how-to-solve-multi-step-algebraic-equations\/\">solving the most common algebraic equations<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"green wp-block-heading\">1. Linear Math Equations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:left\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mathsisfun.com\/algebra\/linear-equations.html\">Linear equations<\/a> are any math equations that can be written in the form<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\"> ax+b=0 <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:left\"> where  <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\"> a <\/span> and <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\"> b <\/span> are real numbers and <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\"> x <\/span> is a variable. This is sometimes called the standard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/finding-the-equation-of-line-using-slope\/\">form of a linear equation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a lot of ways in solving linear equations, depending on the level of difficulty of the linear equation you are trying to solve. <em>The rule of thumb in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/solving-rational-equations-practice\/\">solving any equation<\/a> is balancing. Whatever you do to one side of an equation, should also do it to the other side. This will lead us to the properties of equality that will be heavily used in solving math equations. For example, solve<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">9(x+4)+2x=64-3x <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, simplify both sides of the equation. Clear out any groupings by distributive law. Then combine like terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\"> \\begin{alignedat}{2}9x+36+2x=64\u22123x\\\\ 11x+36=64-3x\\end{alignedat}<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The next step is to add <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">3x<\/span> to both sides and subtract 36 from both sides of the equation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">11x+3x+36-36=64-36-3x+3x\\\\14x=28 <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then divide both sides by 14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\frac { 14x }{ 14 } =\\frac { 28 }{ 24 }\\\\x=2 <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a separate article, we will deal with other linear equations such as those with fractional coefficients and proportion equations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"green wp-block-heading\">2. Quadratic Math Equations <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.khanacademy.org\/math\/algebra\/x2f8bb11595b61c86:quadratic-functions-equations\/x2f8bb11595b61c86:quadratic-formula-a1\/v\/using-the-quadratic-formula#:~:text=The%20quadratic%20formula%20helps%20us,solve%20a%20variety%20of%20equations.\">Quadratic equations<\/a> are any equation that can be arranged in standard form<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">ax^{ 2 }+bx+c=0 <\/span>, where <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\"> a\u22600 <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are several ways to solve quadratic equations like factoring, square root property, the quadratic formula by completing the square, and the recently devised method last 2019 by Professor Loh. In this article, we will discuss the three basic ways\u2014factoring, square root property, and the quadratic formula. The quadratic formula and square root property will always work. While the factoring method won&#8217;t always work. The latter needs a little more work to do for it to be used in some quadratics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"blue wp-block-heading\">Solving by Factoring<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Some quadratics can be solved by just factoring them. In this method, we will need to remember the Zero Product Property which states<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">If <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">ab=0<\/span>, then <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">a=0 <\/span> or <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">b=0<\/span> (or both).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> This means that if  <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\left( x-2 \\right) \\left( x+3 \\right) =0 <\/span>, then<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x-2=0<\/span> or <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x+3=0 <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\"> x=2<\/span> or <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x=3 <\/span>.  Zero product property won\u2019t work like  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\"> ab=10 <\/span>, then  <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">a=2<\/span> or <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">b=5<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The equation must always be equal to zero for it to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To solve using factoring, we want all the terms to be on one side, and zero on the other side. As mentioned above, the zero product property won\u2019t work if no side is equal to zero. In other words, the quadratic equation must always be in standard form. For more details on how to factor polynomials, read the article for Factoring Polynomials. For example, solve<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">{ x }^{ 2 }-x=0 <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Since the equation is in standard form, we can factor out <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x<\/span> on the left.  Then use the zero product property to solve for the values of <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x <\/span><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x\\left( x-1 \\right) =0 <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x=0 <\/span> or  <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x=1 <\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, let&#8217;s try solving <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">{ x }^{ 2 }-4x=45 <\/span>. First, write the equation in standard form by subtracting 45 from both sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\begin{alignedat}{2}{ x }^{ 2 }+4&amp;x-45=45-45\\\\{ x }^{ 2 }+4&amp;x-45=0\\end{alignedat}<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Then, factor the left side and use the zero product property to solve for <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x <\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\left( x+9 \\right) \\left( x-5 \\right) =0<\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x+9=0 <\/span> or  <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x-5=0 <\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x=-9 <\/span> or  <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x=5<\/span>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Factoring works provided the quadratic can be easily factored,\nwhich is not always the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"blue wp-block-heading\">Square Root Property<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The Square Root Property tells that<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\">if <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\"> { x }^{ 2 }\\quad =\\quad a <\/span>, then <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x=\\pm \\sqrt { a } <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\"> \\pm<\/span> symbol is read as \u201cplus or minus\u201d which means exactly how it\u2019s read. One is <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x=\\sqrt { a } <\/span> and the other is <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x=-\\sqrt { a } <\/span>. This property is always used in the Quadratic Formula and when completing the square. It can only be used when taking the square root of both sides of the equation that can be done to solve for the variable.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:left\"> Example 1: Solve <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">{ x }^{ 2 }-289=0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, add 289 to both sides, then take the square root of both sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\begin{alignedat}{2}{ x }^{ 2 }-289+289&amp;=0+289\\\\\\sqrt { { x }^{ 2 } } &amp;=\\sqrt { 289 }\\\\x&amp;=\\pm 17\\end{alignedat}<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Therefore, <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x <\/span> can be either 17 or <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">-17<\/span>  .<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Example 2: Solve <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">{ \\left( 3x-6 \\right)  }^{ 2 }-225=0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Add 225 to both sides then take the square root.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\begin{alignedat}{2}(3x-6)^{ 2 }-225+225&amp;=0+225\\\\\\sqrt { { \\left( 3x-6 \\right)  }^{ 2 } } &amp;=\\sqrt { 225 }\\\\3x-6&amp;=\\pm 15\\end{alignedat}<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We have <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">3x-6=15<\/span> and <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">3x-6=-15<\/span>. Solve both equations to get <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x=7<\/span> or <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x=-3<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Example 3: Solve <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">{ \\left( x+4 \\right)  }^{ 2 }+8=0<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Subtract 8 from both sides then take the square root.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\begin{alignedat}{2} { \\left( x+4 \\right)  }^{ 2 }+8-8&amp;=0-8\\\\ \\sqrt { { \\left( x+4 \\right)  }^{ 2 } } &amp;=\\sqrt { -8 }\\\\ x&amp;=-4\\pm 2i\\sqrt { 2 } \\end{alignedat}<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Subtract 4 from both sides to get <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x=-4\\pm 2i\\sqrt { 2 }<\/span>. We have complex solutions to the equation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quadratic Formula<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The quadratic formula is derived by completing the square of the standard form of any quadratic equation. We will show you how to derive the formula in different articles but for now, here\u2019s the formula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x=\\frac { -b\\pm \\sqrt { { b }^{ 2 }-4ac }  }{ 2a } <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This formula always works for any quadratic equation you want to solve. You just have to make the equation in standard form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Example: Solve <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">{ x }^{ 2 }-5x-7=0<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the equation is already in standard form, let\u2019s proceed to identify the values of  <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">a<\/span>, <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">b<\/span> and <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">c<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">a=1<\/span>, <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">b=-5<\/span> and <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">c=-7<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plugin the values of the variables into the formula and solve for <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\begin{alignedat}{2} x&amp;=\\frac { -b\\pm \\sqrt { { b }^{ 2 }-4ac }  }{ 2a }\\\\x&amp;=\\frac { -\\left( -5 \\right) \\pm \\sqrt { { \\left( -5 \\right)  }^{ 2 }-4\\left( 1 \\right) \\left( -7 \\right)  }  }{ 2\\left( 1 \\right)  }\\\\x&amp;=\\frac { 5\\pm \\sqrt { 25+28 }  }{ 2 }\\\\x&amp;=\\frac { 5\\pm \\sqrt { 53 }  }{ 2 } \\end{alignedat}<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You must know at least two ways to solve quadratic equations so may use one to double-check your answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"green wp-block-heading\">3. Polynomial Equations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Polynomial equations take away the limit of the exponent you can have in an equation. This means that linear, quadratic, and cubic equations are all polynomial equations. Higher-degree polynomial equations can sometimes be solved by factoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Example 1: Solve <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">{ x }^{ 3 }+16{ x }^{ 2 }+64x-361x=0<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The polynomial equation looks daunting, but if we carefully pay attention, we can manipulate the left side to reveal a pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, factor out x from the left side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x\\left( { x }^{ 2 }+16x+64-361 \\right) =0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> It\u2019s tempting to subtract 361 from 64 but the expression is actually a \u201cdifference of squares\u201d. The <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">{ x }^{ 2 }+16x+64<\/span> and <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">361<\/span> are both perfect squares. Factor out the entire expression using what we know about the difference of squares. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x\\left( { x+8-19 } \\right) \\left( x+8+19 \\right) =0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Simplify the left side then solve for<span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x\\left( { x-11 } \\right) \\left( x+27 \\right) =0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x=0<\/span>, <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x=11<\/span> or <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x=-27<\/span>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is very helpful to master factoring different levels of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/how-to-solve-polynomial-inequalities\/\">polynomials to help you solve<\/a> polynomial equations. But polynomial equations won\u2019t always be easy to solve using factorization. Some may need more than factorization like the Rational Root Theorem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"green wp-block-heading\">4. Radical Equations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Radical equations are any equation with a variable inside a radical. In this article, we will focus on solving square root equations.&nbsp; Remember, always isolate the square root expression on one side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Example 1: Solve <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\sqrt { x+3 } -9=0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, add 9 to both sides to isolate <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\sqrt { x+3 }<\/span>.  Then square both sides to cancel the square root and solve for <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\begin{alignedat}{2}\\sqrt { x+3 } -9+9&amp;=0+9\\\\{ \\left( \\sqrt { x+3 }  \\right)  }^{ 2 }\\quad &amp;=\\quad { 9 }^{ 2 }\\\\x+3&amp;=81\\\\x+3-3&amp;=81-3\\\\x&amp;=78\\end{alignedat}<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As to any equation, we always want to plug back the value of the variable we obtained into the equation to check whether or not our solution is right. We do this especially to radical math equations because we can sometimes have an extraneous solution\u2014an erroneous value of the variable that doesn\u2019t satisfy the equation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\begin{alignedat}{2}\\sqrt { 78+3 } -9&amp; \u225f0\\\\\\sqrt { 81 } -9&amp; \u225f0\\\\9-9&amp;\u225f0\\\\0&amp;=0\\quad True\\end{alignedat}<\/span> <br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of the time, we will be dealing with quadratic equations when solving square root equations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Example 2:  <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\sqrt { 5-x } -1=x<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> First, isolate <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\sqrt { 5-x } <\/span> by adding 1 to both sides, then square both sides. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\begin{alignedat}{2}\\sqrt { 5-x } -1+1&amp;=x+1\\\\{ \\left( \\sqrt { 5-x }  \\right)  }^{ 2 }&amp;={ \\left( x+1 \\right)  }^{ 2 }\\\\5-x&amp;=x^2+2x+1\\end{alignedat}<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arrange the equation to standard form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\begin{alignedat}{2}x^2+2x+x+1-5&amp;=0\\\\x^2+3x-4&amp;=0\\end{alignedat}<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We can solve the quadratic equation by factoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\begin{alignedat}{2}x^2+3x-4&amp;=0\\\\\\left( x+4 \\right) \\left( x-1 \\right) &amp;=0 \\end{alignedat}<\/span>    <br>  <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\begin{alignedat}{2}x&amp;=-4\\end{alignedat}<\/span> or <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\begin{alignedat}{2}x&amp;=1\\end{alignedat}<\/span>   <br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check for extraneous solution(s).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\begin{alignedat}{2}\\sqrt { 5-\\left( -4 \\right)  } -1+1&amp;\u225f-4+1\\\\\\sqrt { 9 } -1+1&amp;\u225f-3\\\\3-1+1 &amp;\u225f -3\\\\3&amp;\\neq -3\\quad False\\end{alignedat}<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\begin{alignedat}{2}\\sqrt { 5-1 } -1+1 &amp;\u225f 1+1\\\\\\sqrt { 4-1 } +1&amp;\u225f2\\\\2-1+1&amp;\u225f 2\\\\2&amp;=2\\quad True\\end{alignedat}<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Therefore, the only solution to the equation is <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x=1<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep in mind that you always have to check for extraneous solution(s) when solving square root equations. A square root equation may have only one solution or even none at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"green wp-block-heading\">5. Exponential Equations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Exponential equations are equations in which variables occur as an exponent. There are two ways in solving exponential equations. But we will restrict ourselves to solving exponential equations by making the bases on both sides of the equations the same (the first thing we want to check first if possible). We will discuss solving exponential equations using logs in another article. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Example 1: <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">{ 2 }^{ x }=16<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, let\u2019s turn the right side of the equation into an exponential expression with the same base as the left side. 16 can be expressed as <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">{ 2 }^{ 4 }<\/span>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"> <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">{ 2 }^{ x }={ 2 }^{ 4 }<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once both sides have the same base, we can equate their exponents to solve for <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"> <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">{ 2 }^{ x }={ 2 }^{ 4 }\\\\x=4<\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Example 2: <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">16^{ x-5 }\\cdot { \\left( \\frac { 1 }{ 8 }  \\right)  }^{ -x-\\frac { 1 }{ 6 }  }=\\sqrt { 2 } <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The equation looks a little complicated but it\u2019s not. Just make all the bases the same using exponent properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\begin{alignedat}{2}16^{ x-5 }\\cdot { \\left( \\frac { 1 }{ 8 }  \\right)  }^{ -x-\\frac { 1 }{ 6 }  }&amp;=\\sqrt { 2 }\\\\2^{ 4\\left( x-5 \\right)  }\\cdot { 2 }^{ -3\\left( -x-\\frac { 1 }{ 6 }  \\right)  }&amp;=2\\frac { 1 }{ 2 }\\\\ { 2 }^{ 4x-20 }\\cdot { 2 }^{ 3x+2 }&amp;={ 2 }^{ \\frac { 1 }{ 2 }  }\\end{alignedat}<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Simplify the left side of the equation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\begin{alignedat}{2}2^{ 4x-20+3x+\\frac { 1 }{ 2 }  }&amp;={ 2 }^{ \\frac { 1 }{ 2 }  }\\\\2^{ 7x-\\frac { 39 }{ 2 }  }&amp;={ 2 }^{ \\frac { 1 }{ 2 }  }\\end{alignedat}<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Equate the equations from both sides and solve for <span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">x<\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><span class=\"wp-katex-eq\" data-display=\"false\">\\begin{alignedat}{2}7x-\\frac { 39 }{ 2 } &amp;=\\frac { 1 }{ 2 }\\\\2\\left( 7x-\\frac { 39 }{ 2 }  \\right)&amp; =\\frac { 1 }{ 2 } \\left( 2 \\right)\\\\14x-39&amp;=1\\\\14x-39+39&amp;=1+39\\\\\\frac { 14x }{ 14 } &amp;=\\frac { 40 }{ 14 }\\\\x&amp;=\\frac { 20 }{ 7 }\\end{alignedat}<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember that when solving an equation, you should always apply the rule \u201cwhatever you do to one side, do it to the other.\u201d In the next articles, we will go over more algebraic equations and give easy ways to solve them. In the meantime, browse our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/\">blog page<\/a> for different fun educational math blogs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In mathematics, an equation is a statement that two expressions are equal. It consists of two expressions on the left and right sides of the \u201cequals\u201d symbol. There are different math equations. Below is an example of a math equation, The equation states that 7 + 8 is equal to 15. The most common math [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,152,150,108,105,106,107,147,103,149,148],"tags":[121,20,15],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Math Equations: Learn The Different Types of Equations | Learn ZOE<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Check this article &amp; learn more about different math equations: Linear Equations, Quadratic Equations, Polynomial Equations, Radical Equations, and others.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/what-is-an-equation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Math Equations: Learn The Different Types of Equations | Learn ZOE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Check this article &amp; learn more about different math equations: Linear Equations, Quadratic Equations, Polynomial Equations, Radical Equations, and others.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/what-is-an-equation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-09-05T05:35:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-07-03T10:59:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/equation-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Luke Gill\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Luke Gill\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/what-is-an-equation\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/what-is-an-equation\/\",\"name\":\"Math Equations: Learn The Different Types of Equations | Learn ZOE\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-09-05T05:35:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-07-03T10:59:48+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/11714271ab529f62a769a9e0715a4f50\"},\"description\":\"Check this article & learn more about different math equations: Linear Equations, Quadratic Equations, Polynomial Equations, Radical Equations, and others.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/what-is-an-equation\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/what-is-an-equation\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/what-is-an-equation\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What is an Equation &#8211; Math Open Reference\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/11714271ab529f62a769a9e0715a4f50\",\"name\":\"Luke Gill\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/403f23a3b62b8be505250ddcf1037d0b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/403f23a3b62b8be505250ddcf1037d0b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Luke Gill\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Math Equations: Learn The Different Types of Equations | Learn ZOE","description":"Check this article & learn more about different math equations: Linear Equations, Quadratic Equations, Polynomial Equations, Radical Equations, and others.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/what-is-an-equation\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Math Equations: Learn The Different Types of Equations | Learn ZOE","og_description":"Check this article & learn more about different math equations: Linear Equations, Quadratic Equations, Polynomial Equations, Radical Equations, and others.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/what-is-an-equation\/","article_published_time":"2020-09-05T05:35:53+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-07-03T10:59:48+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":720,"url":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/equation-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Luke Gill","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Luke Gill","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/what-is-an-equation\/","url":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/what-is-an-equation\/","name":"Math Equations: Learn The Different Types of Equations | Learn ZOE","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-09-05T05:35:53+00:00","dateModified":"2023-07-03T10:59:48+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/11714271ab529f62a769a9e0715a4f50"},"description":"Check this article & learn more about different math equations: Linear Equations, Quadratic Equations, Polynomial Equations, Radical Equations, and others.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/what-is-an-equation\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/what-is-an-equation\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/what-is-an-equation\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What is an Equation &#8211; Math Open Reference"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/","name":"","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/11714271ab529f62a769a9e0715a4f50","name":"Luke Gill","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/403f23a3b62b8be505250ddcf1037d0b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/403f23a3b62b8be505250ddcf1037d0b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Luke Gill"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74"}],"version-history":[{"count":327,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3267,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74\/revisions\/3267"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.learnzoe.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}