Question

Ucia finds that ________. What error did Lucia make?

1) She found the difference instead of the sum.
2) She combined the terms 3x² and 7x² incorrectly.
3) She combined the terms 3x and -9x incorrectly.
4) She did not combine all like terms.

Answer 1

Ucia finds that the error Lucia made is option 3: she combined the terms 3x and -9x incorrectly. (option 3)

Step-by-step explanation:

Lucia likely made an error in combining like terms when dealing with the terms 3x and -9x. When combining similar terms, it's essential to pay attention to the signs. The correct combination of 3x and -9x would be 3x + (-9x) = -6x, not 12x as Lucia might have incorrectly computed. The mistake involves the addition of the coefficients without considering the sign of the terms. Mathematically, 3x + (-9x) equals -6x due to the subtraction of 9x from 3x.

Mathematically, 3x + (-9x) equals -6x because the positive 3x is diminished by the negative 9x. Lucia's error highlights the importance of careful attention to detail when simplifying algebraic expressions, ensuring the proper combination of like terms to obtain an accurate result.

Lucia's error lies in the incorrect combination of the terms 3x and -9x, leading to an inaccurate result. It emphasizes the importance of precision in algebraic manipulations, especially when dealing with signs and coefficients.