Question

How would this problem be worked out?
5(2x+1)=12x-1

Answer 1

Alright, what's the first step?

Answer 2

5(2x) and 5(1)
(10x+5)=12x-1

Answer 3

Sweet! So we have:
10x + 5 = 12x - 1

What's next?

Answer 4

- 5 on both sides?

Answer 5

Yep! So what do you get?

Answer 6

10x=12x(6)

Answer 7

Not quite.
You're right on the 10x side, but on the other side, don't forget that you're subtracting, not multiplying. So what's it look like?

Answer 8

10x=12x(-6)

Answer 9

No parenthesis (it makes multiplication), so it'll be:
10x =12x - 6

So what's the next step?

Answer 10

oh ok! +6 on both sides

Answer 11

Nope, let's get the Xs together. So how do we do that?

Answer 12

divide by 10x on both sides

Answer 13

Nope, let's put the 12x on the left side. How would you do that?

Answer 14

x's 12 on both sides?

Answer 15

You can do it just like before, just with the 12x, so subtract the12x from the right and subtract it from the left, too:
10x - 12x =12x - 12x - 6

So now what does it look like?

Answer 16

-2x=-6
divide by -2 on both sides
left side cancles out
x=-8

Answer 17

Okay so we have this:
-2x = -6

Now when you divide by -2 on the left you just get x by itself (like you said.)

But what happens when you take -6 and divide it by -2?

Answer 18

you get -8??

Answer 19

Remember that you're dividing.

Answer 20

What's \[\frac{ -6 }{ -2 }\] (and also what happens when you divide a negative number by another negative number?)

Answer 21

x=8

Answer 22

6/2 = 3
And when you take -6 and divide it by -2, you get positive 3 (because a negative divided by a negative is a positive.) Do you see why?

Answer 23

yes i see y its a positive its wierd too lol cause i did -6/-2 on the calc. and -8 everytime lol but now i see

Answer 24

If you add -6 and -2 you get -8.
Always be careful with the arithmetic.

It's seriously mess it up every time on a test. The idea behind what I'm doing is usually correct, but I mess it up because I add or do something wrong with my arithmetic. Good thing there's partial credit!

Answer 25

haha yeahi know right! I'm nowhere good at math, im so behind in it like all this im posting is simple stuff and i never really learned cause i goofed off so much throughout highschool and now im having to take it online as a half senior /junior im graduating early math just really holds me back i really regret goofing off in the past lol so thanks alot for making do the work so i can learn how to it right and not just telling me the anwser right away you've been a real bi help(:

Answer 26

Oh, no worries. It's a pleasure. Feel free to tag me in any questions you have.