Question

solve -1/3m - 7 = 5

Answer 1

Is it\[\frac{ -1 }{ 3m-7 }=5\]

Answer 2

Here we have an inverse making life difficult, but oh well they exist and that's life.

I'm not sure what your current method for solving equations is, but you will probably
end up only using inverse operations if you are anything like me.

So lets try this out,

-1/3m - 7 = 5

When using inverse operations you proceed with the idea that "whatever is done to the
Right hand side must be done to the Left"

So if we wish to remove that 7, as it is simpler to deal with numbers first.

we go -1/3m - 7 [+7] = 5 [+7]

notice how I added 7 to each side to remove the negative 7.

now we have

-1/3m = 12

This is where it gets interesting, as you have your "m" on the bottom.

Well that's actually not too hard to deal with, we know that the inverse of division is
multiplication so we multiply both sides by 3m like so:

-1/3m [x3m] = 12 [x3m]

we get

-3m/3m = 36m

which simplifies to

-1 = 36m (same as 36m = -1)

giving m as -1/36

I hope this is correct, but you can check by substituting m back into the formula

-1/3(1/36) - 7 = 5

5 = 5 So its correct!