Question

What is the solution to the equation? -4x 5(x-2)=-16 10
x=??

Answer 1

@welshfella

Answer 2

Is this -4x+5(x-2)=-16+10? Some of the signs are missing from the equation you put down.

Answer 3

yes. for some reason my + marks dont work in a question

Answer 4

That's okay.
-4x+5(x-2)=-16+10
The first step is to distribute.
-4x + 5x - 10 = -16 + 10
Combine like terms.
x-10=-6
Add 10 to both sides.
x=4
You can check the solution by plugging it into the original equation.

Answer 5

Thank you! I have some more. Can you help me @verlieren

Answer 6

Sure!

Answer 7

x-7.6+9.4=-8.4

Answer 8

@verlieren

Answer 9

The first thing you need to do is combine like terms. What are the like terms that you see on the left side?

Answer 10

7.6 and 9.4

Answer 11

Don't forget the negative sign in front of 7.6. It would really be -7.6 + 9.4.
-7.6+9.4=1.8, so you now have x+1.8=-8.4. The goal of every equation is to isolate the variable, so what should you do with 1.8 now?

Answer 12

That's a minus sign im pretty sure

Answer 13

@verlieren

Answer 14

A minus sign is the same thing as saying x+(-7.6). Understanding this is huge because this kind of thing comes up a lot in algebra. To demonstrate this, let's pretend it really is 7.6 + 9.4 rather than -7.6 + 9.4:
x-7.6+9.4=-8.4
x-17=-8.4
x=8.6
Let's plug that "solution" into the original equation.
8.6-7.6+9.4=-8.4
10.4=-8.4
That isn't true, right? So it does have to be -7.6 + 9.4.
x+1.8=-8.4
Subtract 1.8 from each side to isolate x.
x=-10.2
Let's check our work.
-10.2-7.6+9.4=-8.4
-8.4=-8.4
There you have it! Make sure you get this down. It's crucial to your success in Algebra 1 (if you're not already taking it) and Algebra 2.