# Math Help - Help needed :(

1. ## Help needed :(

Hi , guys going for my Airman Selection Test for The Royal Airforce in just under 2 weeks , been looking at some practise maths questions and cant understand some of the algebra related questions, Mathematics was never my strong pint at school, with a little help i will learn, here is an example question i am struggling with:

5(t -32)
______ = 5

2

Any help would really be appreciated ,

Many Thanks

2. ## Re: Help needed :(

Originally Posted by calluml
Hi , guys going for my Airman Selection Test for The Royal Airforce in just under 2 weeks , been looking at some practise maths questions and cant understand some of the algebra related questions, Mathematics was never my strong pint at school, with a little help i will learn, here is an example question i am struggling with:

5(t -32)
______ = 5

2

Any help would really be appreciated ,

Many Thanks
If you think of a function kind of like a production line, with the "function" being the process you need to go through to turn the input (t) into the output (5).

In this case, you are told that \displaystyle \begin{align*} \frac{5(t - 32)}{2} = 5 \end{align*}, so that means the "function" has been to subtract 32, then multiply by 5, then divide by 2.

Now we are attempting to go backwards to figure out what value was put into the beginning of the production line. To do this, we will need to reverse everything (in reverse order). So we need to multiply by 2, then divide by 5, then add 32. Symbolically...

\displaystyle \begin{align*} \frac{5(t - 32)}{2} &= 5 \\ 5(t - 32) &= 5 \cdot 2 \\ 5(t - 32) &= 10 \\ t - 32 &= \frac{10}{5} \\ t - 32 &= 2 \\ t &= 2 + 32 \\ t &= 34 \end{align*}