How is solving a literal equation similar to solving a standard equation?

Sometimes you have a formula, such as something from geometry, and you need to solve for some variable other than the "standard" one. For instance, the formula for the perimeter P of a square with sides of length s is P = 4s. You might need to solve this equation for s, so you can plug in a perimeter and figure out the side length.

This process of solving a formula for a given variable is called "solving literal equations". One of the dictionary definitions of "literal" is "related to or being comprised of letters", and variables are sometimes referred to as literals. So "solving literal equations" seems to be another way of saying "taking an equation with lots of letters, and solving for one letter in particular."

At first glance, these exercises appear to be much worse than your usual solving exercises, but they really aren't that bad. You pretty much do what you've done all along for solving linear equations and other sorts of equation; the only substantial difference is that, due to all the variables, you won't be able to simplify your answers as much as you're used to.