Question

SOLVE FOR A : 12am = 4, for a

Answer 1

a =
`(1)/(3m)`

Explanation:

We cannot fully solve this equation, since we have two unknowns (a and m), but we can solve for a.

12am = 4

am =
`(4)/(12)` ← divide both sides by 12

am =
`(1)/(3)` ← simplify

a =
`(1)/(3)` ÷
`(m)/(1)` ← divide both sides by m

Dividing is the same as multiplying the the reciprocal (flipping the numerator and the denominator) Hence, we can write the equation like this:

a =
`(1)/(3)` ×
`(1)/(m)`

multiplying the numerators and the denominators together we get the answer:

a =
`(1)/(3m)`

Hope that helps!