How do you solve #88w + - 89w - 33= 26#?

1 Answer
Sep 6, 2017

#w=59#

Explanation:

#w# represents some number that we don't know.
(How cool is that?! Algebra lets us measure the unknown!!)

Okay, so we have #88w# and we add #-89w#, which is to say we take away #89w#'s from our #88w#'s. This leaves us with #-1w#, or, more concisely, just #-w#.
So
#-w-33=26#

Add #33# to both sides, and you get
#-w=59#

Since an equation is like a balance (remember using those in science classes?), you can do anything to them as long as you do it to both sides.
Multiply both sides by #-1#, and
#w=-59#
And you're done!