Answer:
9x + 6 ⇒ 3(3x + 2)
3 friends; 1 ticket: 3x + 2
Explanation:
To write 9x + 6 as a product, you have to factor it by factoring out a 3 (which fits into both 9 and 6). This will look like: 3(3x + 2)
The question wants to know how many friends went to the movies (which is already given), but the answer is 3 because you factored a 3 out of the total cost for the movies.
The expression 3x + 2 (the expression inside the parentheses represents the cost of a single movie ticket because 3 of these represented the cost for 3 people, but since it has been divided by 3 (3/3 = 1) this only represents the cost of a movie ticket for one.