6th Grade · Expressions & Equations
Inverse Operation
6.EE.B.7
Definition
An operation that undoes another, such as addition and subtraction, used to solve equations.
Examples
- Undo +5 by subtracting 5 from both sides: x + 5 = 12 → x = 7.
- Addition and subtraction are inverses; multiplication and division are inverses.
Key rule
Use inverse operations to get the variable alone and solve.
Memory hook
Whatever was done, undo it to isolate the variable.