I am trying to figure out what "for" means in this equation: m+5n = p for m

Question

I am trying to figure out what "for" means in this equation:  m+5n = p for m

 

Can you advise???

 

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

 m+5n = p for m

You have an equation with 3 variables: m, n, and p

What they want you to do is to solve the equation for the variable m.

Normally, when you have a single equation, you have 1 variable, and it's real simple what to solve for.

For example, given

x + 2 = 3

 

You know to solve for x.

 

When you have an equation with 3 variables, it's not clear what to solve for.

Also, when you solve for m, it will be in terms of n and p.

 

So, solving for m, we need to get m on a side of the equation by itself.

To do this, let's subtract 5n from both sides.

m+5n = p

m = p - 5n

 

And that's the answer,

m = p - 5n