$1.97 + _______ = $5.00?

$1.97 + ______ = $5.00?As with any equation, the trick is to keep each side left and right of the = sign balanced.

So what you do to one side, you must do to the other.

In this case we have 1.97 + x = 5

I use x to denote the variable, the amount we want to discover.

To work out what it is, we need to isolate it on one side of the = sign. We do this by subtracting 1.97.

Because we do it on the left, we must also do it on the right. So on the left you will have x

x =

And then you need to take away 1.97 from the 5 too

x = 5 - 1.97

That would then be

x = 3.03

SO your answer is $3.03!