# Solve an equation?

**URL:** <https://community.wolfram.com/t/solve-an-equation/11256>\
**Category:** Questions\
**Tags:** equation-solving\
**Created:** [September 15, 2017, 3:44pm UTC](https://community.wolfram.com/t/solve-an-equation/11256 "2017-09-15T15:44:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![davidzentlermunro13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@davidzentlermunro13](https://community.wolfram.com/u/davidzentlermunro13)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 3:44pm UTC](https://community.wolfram.com/t/solve-an-equation/11256/1 "2017-09-15T15:44:25Z")

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Any idea why the expression in the attached notebook wouldn’t work (sorry I tried copy and pasting code but this template didn’t like greek letters)? I’ve tried to keep it simple so I could compare to solution by hand, but not having any luck.

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**Author:** ![gdelfino](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/wolfram/user_avatar/community.wolfram.com/gdelfino/32/41294_2.png) [@gdelfino](https://community.wolfram.com/u/gdelfino)\
**Post date:** [September 15, 2017, 5:35pm UTC](https://community.wolfram.com/t/solve-an-equation/11256/2 "2017-09-15T17:35:57Z")

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Not that this will solve your problem completely, but careful with subindices. You should avoid using them or use the Notation package. Also, I think you are missing a space between the alphas and the “a” letters.

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**Author:** ![anon\_91240867](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@anon\_91240867](https://community.wolfram.com/u/anon_91240867)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 12:08am UTC](https://community.wolfram.com/t/solve-an-equation/11256/3 "2017-09-16T00:08:21Z")

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on wolfram communities web page (this page) do you see:

“Reply to this discussion” near bottom of page (baby blue with white editing box).

Look under that label and there is a row of buttons. You press the first on the left before pasting code. I think it will work easily for pasting code from Notebooks.

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**Author:** ![davidzentlermunro13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@davidzentlermunro13](https://community.wolfram.com/u/davidzentlermunro13)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 3:51pm UTC](https://community.wolfram.com/t/solve-an-equation/11256/4 "2017-09-16T15:51:00Z")

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I spotted the paste code option but when I try that it doesn’t display the greek letters properly e.g. it shows \ [Alpha] - so I thought better to just attach the notebook where it appears correctly.

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**Author:** ![davidzentlermunro13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e5b9ba/32.png) [@davidzentlermunro13](https://community.wolfram.com/u/davidzentlermunro13)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2017, 4:05pm UTC](https://community.wolfram.com/t/solve-an-equation/11256/5 "2017-09-16T16:05:29Z")

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I tried without subindices and with spaces added as suggested but no joy

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**Author:** ![bsimpson141421356](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@bsimpson141421356](https://community.wolfram.com/u/bsimpson141421356)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2017, 12:24am UTC](https://community.wolfram.com/t/solve-an-equation/11256/6 "2017-09-17T00:24:09Z")

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Perhaps Solve for Subscript[w,s]

```
Subscript[w,s]=Subscript[w,s]/.Solve[?*Subscript[a,s](Subscript[a,s]Subscript[w,s]^?)^(?-1)==w,Subscript[w,s]][[1]]

```

and then Simplify for Subscript[m,w]

```
Simplify[?*Subscript[a,u](Subscript[a,s]Subscript[w,s]^?)^(?-1),0<?<1&&0<?<1&&0<Subscript[a, s]]>Subscript[m,w]

```