Final answer:
To solve the equation |x - 5| + 4 = 9, isolate the absolute value expression first. There are two cases to consider: x - 5 = 5 and x - 5 = -5. The correct solution is x = 10, not -10.
Step-by-step explanation:
To solve the equation |x - 5| + 4 = 9, we need to isolate the absolute value expression first. Start by subtracting 4 from both sides: |x - 5| = 5. Next, consider two cases: x - 5 = 5 and x - 5 = -5. Solving each case, we find x = 10 and x = 0 as the solutions. So the correct solution is x = 10, not -10.