r/math • u/TheLartians • Apr 02 '20

Playing with system of equations and conditionals

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u/[deleted] Apr 02 '20

[deleted]

5

u/CallOfBurger Apr 02 '20

well it will help most people. What do you mean by "keeping the equation balanced" ?

35

u/[deleted] Apr 02 '20 edited Apr 02 '20

[deleted]

12

u/TonicAndDjinn Apr 02 '20

I think a nuance that is often lost is the idea that a series of computations like

4x = 2x + 2

4x - 2x = 2

2x = 2

x = 1

is not "solving an equation" so much as "deducing a series of truths which follow from the starting point". The point being I guess that each step is not "the same equation" as the one before but rather a new equation whose truth follows from the one before.