Introduction to Solving Equations Containing Fractions

What you’ll learn to do: Use properties to solve equations that contain fractions

A woman writes on a notepad while two men stand nearby in an office setting

Ordering lunch at the office can give you a chance to practice your math skills.

Rylee is taking lunch orders for her coworkers at the office. After taking everyone’s order, she discovers that [latex]\Large\frac{7}{12}[/latex] of her coworkers want a burrito. If 21 people asked for a burrito, how many people is Rylee ordering lunch for altogether? To find out, we can make [latex]x[/latex] equal the total number of people in her office and then set up an equation involving fractions to solve for [latex]x[/latex]. We’ll explore how to do that in this section.

Before you get started, take this readiness quiz.