Chapter 9 · Questions · page 62 of 68
How do you check your answer to an equation?
Short answerPut your answer back into the original equation in place of the letter. If both sides come out equal, the answer is right.
levelAll
standard6.EE.B.5
practiceOne- and two-step equations
An answer to an equation is a number that makes it true. Checking takes seconds and catches nearly every sign slip. Use the original equation, not one of your later steps, so a mistake in a step cannot hide.
How to use it
- Go back to the equation exactly as it was given.
- Replace the letter with your answer, in parentheses.
- Work out each side separately.
- Equal sides mean correct. Unequal means find the step that went wrong.
Example
Where it goes wrong
- Checking in a later line of your work, which repeats the same mistake.
- Dropping the parentheses around a negative answer.