i just started learning perl a little while ago, and i have been spending ages trying to write this script to do my algebra homework for me since i am too lazy to do it myself lol. it has to solve multistep equations such as this: 197 = 5(4a + 10) + 4a. and i totally cannot get it to work and it is driving me mad!! i came up with a basic algorithm for how it should work, it takes one argument, the equation, formatted so that it contains no spaces and the variable is called x, so that 197 = 5(4a + 10) + 4a would be 197=5(4x+10)+4x. then it splits the equation into two halves around the equals sign so that it becomes my $left = 197 and my $right = 5(4x+10)+4x. and that is where i get stuck, i want it to substring 5(4x+10) out of $right and then distribute it, but i cant figure out how to get it to do that. does anyone have any idea how i would write this script?? thanks in advance

In reply to solving multistep equations by Anonymous Monk

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