3.11 Coping with Brackets
A bracket is yet another layer of ‘glue’ to be unstuck when
solving an equation or transposing a formula.
The general rule is:
• get rid of any fractions outside the brackets first
then
• multiply out the brackets
then
• get rid of any fractions which are inside the brackets
then
• do any moving terms about from one side to the other.
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| If various terms are inside a bracket, you cannot get at them individually
until after you have multiplied the bracket out.
Using another analogy:
Stuff inside a bracket is like money in your pocket. You can’t
see how much you’ve got until it’s out of the pocket and
on the table. |
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When multiplying out brackets, remember that everything inside the bracket
gets multiplied by whatever is immediately outside. If it is a negative
number that’s outside, then the signs inside will change as you go.
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