Algebra is a branch of mathematics that is very similar to arithmetic. It uses the four main operations that math uses: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division (+, -, /, *). Algebra also introduces a new element: the unknown. In math, the unknown is on the right-hand side of the equation. Remember math problems like 2 + 3. The answer is unknown until we perform the math operation on the operands (2 and 3). In algebra, we use symbols in place of the unknown placeholder. An algebraic equation would be 2 + 3 = x. That is an algebraic equation that states both sides of the equals sign are equivalent. The operands 2 and 3 operands are known and the x is the unknown.
The goal in algebra is to solve the equation ...
