Question

Medal and fan

Solve for x: 5x + 15 = 28

forty-three over five
thirteen over five
13
43

Answer 1

What do you think your first step is in solving this equation?

Answer 2

subtracting

Answer 3

Yeppers. Subtracting 15 from each side. What equation do you get if you do that?

Answer 4

what after subtracting from both sides I got 13 and 0

Answer 5

what about the 5x

Answer 6

Ah, common mistake. Here's what you're actually doing:

Answer 7

Most times, people think you're just taking 15 and subtracting 15, which would give you 0. This isn't the case. You're actually subtracting 15 from the entire SIDE. Here's what it actually looks like.\[5x+15=28\]\[5x+15-15=28-15\]
It's true that the fifteens will kind of "cancel each other out," but you're still left with a 15x on the left side, not just zero.
\[5x+15=28\]\[5x+15-15=28-15\]\[5x=13\]

Answer 8

*That should have said 5x, not 15x

Answer 9

Let me know if that doesn't make sense and I can clarify it some more

Answer 10

what do I do with the 5x

Answer 11

if I'm solving for x

Answer 12

divide both sides by 5

Answer 13

to get rid of a number on one side to put it on the other side, or to cancel it out...do the opposite. If it shows add, you subtract and vice versa. If it shows multiply, you divide...and vice versa

Answer 14

So you want x, not 5x. Eventually you want the equation to look like
x = #

The best way to do this is to get rid of the 5. Now, when we write 5x, we actually mean 5 times x. To get rid of multiplication by 5, we divide by 5.
So divide 5x by 5. But what we do to one side, we must do to the other, so we divide the other side by 5.
\[5x=13\]\[\frac{5x}{5}=\frac{13}{5}\]\[x=\frac{13}{5}\]

Answer 15

but don't forget, what you do on one side of the equal sign, you have to do on the other side

Answer 16

good explaining jabberwock :)

Answer 17

lol, sorry, I was mid-type when you started replying.

Answer 18

I figured I'd just finish. Hopefully either your way or mine will make sense :) (although it looks like we're approaching it the same way)

Answer 19

great minds think alike..lol

Answer 20

so the answer is 13 divided by 5

Answer 21

well the answer of 13 divided by 5

Answer 22

13/5......or if you need it in mixed number form, it is 2 3/5 (2 and 3/5)

Answer 23

Yep, either way would work. Looks like you have a multiple-choice question though.

Answer 24

ok thank both of you
who do I give the medal and fan to

Answer 25

I'm not here much. Give it to texas

Answer 26

jabberwock

Answer 27

give it to jabberwock

Answer 28

How about I give a fan to @jabberwock and a medal to @texaschic101 seems fair @jabberwock has 3 medals and @texaschic101 has one

Answer 29

jabberwock helped you out more on this one. Besides, I do not do this for medals. If jabberwock keeps answering questions like this, she/he will be at 99 before you know it.

Answer 30

you can still give him a medal @texaschic101

Answer 31

bi everyone