away from both sides. Whatever you do to one side, you must do to the other to maintain the "equals" sign. 4. The Pythagorean Theorem as Squares

Pictures are less intimidating than dense formulas.

cover the exact same amount of space. This makes "equivalent fractions" instantly intuitive. 3. Algebra as a Balanced Scale Equations are simply a search for balance. Imagine a playground seesaw. If you have on one side and on the other, the scale is level. The Logic: To keep it level while finding , you must take