Name: __________________

Algebra One Student Notes

2.3 Solving Multi-Step Equations part 1
What will you learn in this lesson?
Algebra Benchmarks and Indicators
1) You will solve multi-step equations in one variable

CCSM Standard: A.CED.1

Create equations in one
variable and use them to solve
problems.
ALSO: A.REI.1 and
A.REI.3

Lesson
Part 1 Getting Started:
1) You are buying movie tickets online for a group of your friends. You have to enter the number of tickets you
want on the screen shown. You are using a debit card to pay for the tickets and have a total of $45 to spend. How
many tickets can you buy? Explain your reasoning.
a) What will the variable represent in this problem?
Answer:
b) How many times will you need to use the variable? Justify your response.
Answer:

Justification:

c) What expression represents the cost of the tickets?

Answer:
d) What expression represents the processing fee?
Answer:
e) Create an equation to represent the total cost of purchasing tickets.
Answer:
f) What is the first step when solving this equation?
Answer:
g) Solve your equation.
Answer:

h) How many tickets can you purchase?

Answer:

Created by Megan Lantz

Algebra One Student Notes

2.3 Solving Multi-Step Equations part 1

ESSENTIAL UNDERSTANDING:

To solve Multi-step equations, you can use the properties

of _______________, and ______________ operations to form a
series of simpler _________________ equations.
Part 2: Combing Like Terms
2) Define term.

a number, a variable, or the product of a number and one or

more variables
Examples: _____________________________________________________________________________
3) Define like terms:

terms that have the same variable factors

Examples:
Terms

7a and -3a

4x2 and 12x2

6ab and -2a

xy2 and x2y

Variable Factors
Like Terms
Justification

4) Define coefficient:

a numerical factor term before the variable

5) Define constant:

a term that has no variable

6) Identify the constant and coefficients in the following example:

Created by Megan Lantz

6a2 5ab + 3b - 12

Algebra One Student Notes

2.3 Solving Multi-Step Equations part 1
Steps:
1. Mark your like terms making

Combine the like terms in the following examples:

7) 6c 4 + 2c - 7

8) -7h + 3h2 4h - 3

9) 10ab + 2ab2 9ab

sure you keep the operational

symbols in front of each term.
2. Combine like terms using the
appropriate operations.
1
5)
= -2
4

Part 3: Combining Like Terms to Solve a Multi-Step Equation

Steps:
1. Circle your variable. This is

Solve the following multi-step equations.

10) 5 = 5m 23 + 3m

11) 11m 8 6m = 22

12) -2y + 5 + 5y = 14

13) 7p + 8p - 12 = 59

14) x + 2 + x = 22

15) 13 = 5 + 3b - 13

what you need to isolate.

2. Combine like terms that are
on the same side of the equal
sign.
3. See if there is any addition
or subtraction on the same side
of the equal sign as the
variable and undo it.
4. See if there is any
multiplication or division on the
same side of the equal sign as
the variable and undo it.

Created by Megan Lantz

Algebra One Student Notes

2.3 Solving Multi-Step Equations part 1

Part 4: Solving a Multi-Step Word Problem

16) Martha takes her niece and nephew to a concert. She buys t-shirts and bumper stickers for them. The
bumper stickers cost $1 each. Marthas niece wants 1 shirt and 4 bumper stickers, and her nephew wants 2 shirts
but no bumper stickers. If Marthas total is $67, what is the cost of one shirt?
a) What information do we know?

b) What do we need to find?

c) What expression represents the cost of Marthas nieces items?

Answer:
d) What expression represents the cost of Marthas nephews items?
Answer:
e) Write and solve an equation to find the cost of one shirt.

f) Identify the cost of one shirt.

Answer:
17) Noah and Kate are shopping for new guitar strings in a music store. Noah buys 2 packs of strings. Kate buys 2
packs of strings and a music book. The book costs $16 and their total cost is $72. How much is one pack of guitar
strings?
a) What do we know?

b) What do we need to find?

c) Write and solve an equation to find the cost of one guitar string.

Created by Megan Lantz