# This one has got me!

##### New member
Anyone who could show me how to rearrange the terms so as to express P in terms of the other quantities would help me no end. I don't like to ask for help until I'm sure I can't find a solution. This one's given me roughly an hour of head scratching, longer than any other equation so far so...

P-1/2q=b(q-1/2p)

That b on one side is giving me no end of trouble, isolating the p values is proving nightmarish.q
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Many thanks,
Tom.

#### Harry_the_cat

##### Full Member
Anyone who could show me how to rearrange the terms so as to express P in terms of the other quantities would help me no end. I don't like to ask for help until I'm sure I can't find a solution. This one's given me roughly an hour of head scratching, longer than any other equation so far so...

P-1/2q=b(q-1/2p)

That b on one side is giving me no end of trouble, isolating the p values is proving nightmarish.q
1
2
Many thanks,
Tom.
Firstly, it is a little hard to read. Is it: $$\displaystyle p-\frac{1}{2q} = b(q-\frac{1}{2p})$$ ?

##### New member
Seems like I need more help learning to post algebraic problems on this forum than solve them.
I've just cracked it, so no one need waste their time trying to either decipher my post or showing me how to solve the equation. How is it that you manage to type these equations so that they appear in such clear algebraic form? I'm not sure my keyboard has the capabilities?

#### Harry_the_cat

##### Full Member
Seems like I need more help learning to post algebraic problems on this forum than solve them.
I've just cracked it, so no one need waste their time trying to either decipher my post or showing me how to solve the equation. How is it that you manage to type these equations so that they appear in such clear algebraic form? I'm not sure my keyboard has the capabilities?
Use LaTex. There is a thread on this site somewhere on the basics. Doesn't depend on your keyboard capabilities.
For the above, put

p-\frac{1}{2q} = b(q-\frac{1}{2p})

in between tex and /tex , both in square brackets [ and ]. No bold.

EDIT: Actually it's on the Math Help Forum site.

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#### Dr.Peterson

##### Elite Member
Seems like I need more help learning to post algebraic problems on this forum than solve them.
I've just cracked it, so no one need waste their time trying to either decipher my post or showing me how to solve the equation. How is it that you manage to type these equations so that they appear in such clear algebraic form? I'm not sure my keyboard has the capabilities?
Although LaTeX isn't terribly hard, all you were really lacking is care in using parentheses. Some expressions are ambiguous, or at least awkward to read, without them. Where you wrote p-1/2q=b(q-1/2p), you need either p - (1/2)q = b(q - (1/2)p) or p - 1/(2q) = b(q - 1/(2p)), or possibly (p - 1)/(2q) = b((q - 1)/(2p)). I find that spaces also help readability.

#### topsquark

##### Junior Member
EDIT: Actually it's on the Math Help Forum site.
Whereas I'm fond of MHF for obvious reasons once you get a handle on how to use the tex brackets you might find this site to be of great help in learning LaTeX as it's interactive and you don't have to make posts on a Forum to see what you are doing.

-Dan

#### Harry_the_cat

##### Full Member
Whereas I'm fond of MHF for obvious reasons once you get a handle on how to use the tex brackets you might find this site to be of great help in learning LaTeX as it's interactive and you don't have to make posts on a Forum to see what you are doing.

-Dan
Thanks!