Question

solve.
1/4 a =3.

Answer 1

12

Answer 2

you want to isolate a. Start by inverting the fraction and multiply to both sides.
1/4a=3
(4/1)(1/4)a=3(4/1)
a=3

Answer 3

Let's make this one a little clearer, shall we?

What we want to do, as Slyoungdale said, is isolate a. That is to say, one of the sides of our equations should equal "a" and nothing else. So how do we do that?

One way is to add 3/4a to both sides. (Whatever we do to one side, we have to do to the other!) But if we do that, we get: a = 3 + 3/4a. And that's hardly ideal at all; we still don't know what a is! This adds a caveat to our "isolate a" puzzle. We want to isolate a on one side, while having NO a's on the OTHER side.

So if we multiply by four, we can get this.

1/4 a * 4 = 3 * 4.
Therefore, a = 12.

Answer 4

thank you for correcting my horrible math mistake Salivanth! I have to written to multiply 3 and 4 and the typed the wrong number. Good catch!

Answer 5

Oh ok, haha I was like um so is it 12 or 3.

Answer 6

thank you guys!

Answer 7

no problem I hope this helped.