Solving equations using addition

When solving equations using addition, they will have the following form:

                                            x − b = c

Recall that ax + b = c is a linear equation.

Thus, the equation x − b = c is a linear equation with a = 1 and a negative sign in front of b.

To see this, notice that 1.x = x and − = + -

Thus, we can rewrite x − b = c as

1.x + -b = c

You can solve x − b = c in one step.

When solving one step equation of the form x − b = c, rewrite x − b = c as
x + -b = c and add b to both sides of the equation.

We will illustrate with two examples:

Example #1: Solve x − 2 = 8