An algebraic equation is an equality involving variables. It is a mathematical statement that states that two expressions are equal. In an equation, there are variables, which represent unknown values, and constants, which are known values.

Equations are used to solve problems and find the value of the unknown variable. They provide a way to express relationships between quantities and can be used to model real-world situations.

Key Points:
- An algebraic equation is an equality involving variables.
- It is a mathematical statement that states that two expressions are equal.
- Equations are used to solve problems and find the value of the unknown variable.
- Variables represent unknown values, while constants are known values.
- Equations provide a way to express relationships between quantities.
- Equations can be used to model real-world situations.

Explanation:
An algebraic equation consists of two sides, the left-hand side (LHS) and the right-hand side (RHS), separated by an equal sign (=). The LHS and RHS can contain variables, constants, and mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

For example, consider the equation:

2x + 5 = 13

In this equation, "2x + 5" is the LHS, "13" is the RHS, and the equal sign (=) indicates that the two sides are equal. The variable "x" represents an unknown value that we want to find.

To solve the equation, we perform operations to isolate the variable on one side of the equation. In this case, we can subtract 5 from both sides:

2x + 5 - 5 = 13 - 5

This simplifies to:

2x = 8

Then, we can divide both sides by 2:

(2x)/2 = 8/2

This simplifies to:

x = 4

So, the solution to the equation is x = 4, which means that when x is equal to 4, the equation is true.

In summary, an algebraic equation is an equality involving variables. It is a mathematical statement used to express relationships between quantities and solve problems by finding the value of the unknown variable.