To solve an equation, each side of the equation must balance with the other side. One of the most common methods used to solve equations is the balance method.

Example:
Solve the equation 3a + 8 = 26

To solve the equation, the left hand side must balance with the right hand side

The term +8 can be removed from the equation by subtracting 8 from each side.
This gives 3a + 8 - 8 = 26 - 8

This simplifies to 3a = 18

This answer can be checked by substituting a = 6 back into the original equation