Question

Nine equals five times an unknown number less three times the same number?

Answer 1

Let the unkown number be x.

Answer 2

What is three times the number?

Answer 3

\(\sf Nine ~equals ~five ~times ~an ~unknown ~number ~less \color{red}{~three ~times ~the ~same ~number}? \)
\(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\color{red}{3x}\)

Answer 4

\(\sf Nine ~equals ~five ~times ~an ~unknown ~number \color{green}{~less} \color{red}{~three ~times ~the ~same ~number}?\)
\(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\color{green}{-}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\color{red}{3x}\)

Answer 5

\(\sf Nine ~equals \color{blue}{~five ~times ~an ~unknown ~number} \color{green}{~less} \color{red}{~three ~times ~the ~same ~number}?\)
\(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\color{blue}{5x}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\color{green}{-}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\color{red}{3x}\)

Answer 6

\(\sf \color{purple}{Nine ~equals} \color{blue}{~five ~times ~an ~unknown ~number} \color{green}{~less} \color{red}{~three ~times ~the ~same ~number}?\)
\(~~~~~\color{purple}{9=}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\color{blue}{5x}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\color{green}{-}~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\color{red}{3x}\)

Answer 7

After deleting the spaces and colors, you wend up with:

\(\large 9=5x-3x\)

Answer 8

Now we can solve the equation for x, the unknown number.

Answer 9

\(\large 5x - 3x = 9\)

Do the subtraction on the left side:

\(\large 2x = 9\)

Divide both sides by 2:

\(\large x = 4.5\)

Answer 10

Answer: the number is 4.5