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Three times the quantity a + 4 equals four times the quantity a — 1. What value of a makes this sentence true?

User Teknova
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Final answer:

The value of a that makes the equation 'three times the quantity a + 4 equals four times the quantity a - 1' true is 16, found by using the distributive property and isolating the variable.

Step-by-step explanation:

To solve the equation "three times the quantity a + 4 equals four times the quantity a - 1" we first translate it into a mathematical expression:

3(a + 4) = 4(a - 1).

Next, we apply the distributive property:

3a + 12 = 4a - 4.

To find the value of a, we need to isolate the variable on one side of the equation. We can do this by subtracting 3a from both sides:

12 = a - 4.

Adding 4 to both sides gives us the final answer:

a = 16.

Therefore, the value of a that makes the sentence true is 16.

User Chaniece
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