-5/2 (3x+4)

Question

-5/2 (3x+4) < 6 - 3x show work

ahtzymackayla · Answer

Are you familiar with PEMDAS?

Gdeinward · Answer

Im assuming you must solve for x?

ahtzymackayla · Answer

Follow PEMDAS so you'd begin with 3x+4

SmokeyBrown · Answer

@ahtzymackayla wrote:

Follow PEMDAS so you'd begin with 3x+4

Since x is an unknown variable, you would not be able to start by directly combining 3x+4, as PEMDAS would suggest. Assuming that the problem does want us to solve for x, as Gdeinward suggested, you would want to use algebra to get all the "x" terms on one side of the inequality and all the constant terms on the other side. To this end, a good first step would be to use multiplication to distribute the -5/2 across everything inside the parentheses (3x+4); you would get (-5/2 * 3x) + (-5/2* 4), which would simplify to -15/2*x -10 < 6 - 3x From there, you may use what you know about algebra in order to get "x" on one side of the inequality and a constant numerical value on the other side; simplifying from there should allow you to solve for x

ahtzymackayla · Answer

Is it possible to combine like terms at this point or am I mistaken?

SmokeyBrown · Answer

@ahtzymackayla wrote:

Is it possible to combine like terms at this point or am I mistaken?

I think that is another possibility, in a way. Instead of the steps I suggested, it would also be possible to divide both sides of the inequality by -5/2 like so: -5/2/(-5/2) (3x+4) < 6/(-5/2) - 3x/(-5/2) in order to get: 3x + 4 < -15 + 15/2 And then, just as you said, you would use algebra to combine like terms and simplify to solve for x. The only problem with your suggestion from before is that "3x" and "4" are not like terms, since "3x" contains a variable "x" and "4" does not; if they were like terms that could be combined, you would have been totally correct with that approach