So far you have seen how we can represent numbers with letters and use them to show relationships. Let's see what else it can do! Brackets (like these) can also be used in algebra, but DON'T PANIC! Treat what's inside the brackets as a single thing. Think of the braketed term like a single letter. Let's start with a simple example: 2(x + 3) = 10 so what's x? Remember that this is not the same as 2x + 3 = 10!
Now, we can either treat the brackets as a single thing, to begin with, or multiply the bracketed term by what's on the outside:
The first way is probably easiest. Notice that in the third step we merely removed the brackets once they weren't needed!
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