Final answer:
To find the value of x where line a is parallel to line b, we set the angle expressions (5x + 15) and 115 equal to each other and solve for x, resulting in x = 20.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine for what value of x line a is parallel to line b, we must understand that parallel lines have equal angles where a transversal line intersects them. Given that the top left angle of line a is (5x + 15) degrees and the corresponding angle of line b is 115 degrees, we can set these two expressions equal to each other because they must be the same if the lines are parallel.
Setting the expressions equal gives us the equation 5x + 15 = 115. By solving for x, we first subtract 15 from both sides to get 5x = 100, then divide both sides by 5 to find that x = 20.
Therefore, for line a to be parallel to line b, the value of x must be 20 degrees.