Question

Help to solve the equation: "The product of a number and six is negative twelve."

a) The number is -2.

b) The number is 2.

c) There is no solution.

d) The number cannot be determined from the given information.

Answer 1

To solve "The product of a number and six is negative twelve," we set up the equation 6x = -12. Dividing both sides by 6 yields x = -12 / 6, which simplifies to x = -2. Thus, the number is -2, matching option a.

Step-by-step explanation:

To solve the equation stated as "The product of a number and six is negative twelve," we need to set up the equation and solve for the unknown number. First, let the unknown number be represented by the variable 'x'. The problem is then translated to the equation 6x = -12.

Now, perform the following steps to solve for 'x':

1. Divide both sides of the equation by 6 to isolate 'x' on one side of the equation.
2. After performing the division, the equation becomes x = -12 / 6.
3. Finally, simplify the right side of the equation to find x = -2.

Therefore, the number is -2, which corresponds to option a. The rules of multiplication indicate that a negative product results when a positive number is multiplied by a negative number, which aligns with our solution.