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Please provide assistance as soon as possible; I urgently need help. Explain the mistake that was made and how to correct it in the following equation. Identify the correct answer and the incorrect step:

Step 1: 8x - 7 > 17 + 12x
Step 2: -4x - 7 > 17
Step 3: -4x > 24
Step 4: x > -6

Explain the error and identify the correct answer.

User Ethan C
by
6.8k points

1 Answer

5 votes

Final answer:

The mistake was made in step 2 of the equation. The correct answer is x > -1.5.

Step-by-step explanation:

The mistake was made in step 2. When subtracting 17 from both sides of the equation, the correct step should be -4x - 7 > 17 - 17 which simplifies to -4x - 7 > 0. The incorrect step in step 2 led to the incorrect inequality in step 3.

The correct answer is x > -1.5.

To correct the mistake, you should subtract 17 from both sides of the equation instead of just the right side.

User Alex Zylman
by
7.2k points