The word for the punctuation mark, on the other hand, comes from Îºá¿¶Î»Î¿Î½ (or kÅlon), which means âlimbâ or âclauseâ â and it is used because one of the main functions of the colon is to separate two clauses, where the second clause explains or follows from the first.
The goal in solving an equation is to get the variable by itself on one side of the equation and a number on the other side of the equation. To isolate the variable, we must reverse the operations acting on the variable. We do this by performing the inverse of each operation on both sides of the equation.
Video: Inverse Operations in Math: Definition & Examples. In mathematics, inverse operations are operations that 'undo' each other. Most operations have an inverse. This lesson describes the most common operations and their inverses, and it provides some examples and a quiz to cement your knowledge. PSAT Prep: Help and Review / English Courses.