Question

Leticia has a homework assignment, and she must solve the equation - 7x + 2 = 51. What represents x? Negative 7 or positive 7?

Options:
A) Negative 7
B) Positive 7
C) The equation has no solution.
D) The equation has multiple solutions.

Answer 1

To solve the given linear equation, subtract 2 from both sides and then divide by -7 to isolate x, which results in x representing Negative 7.

Step-by-step explanation:

To solve the equation -7x + 2 = 51, Leticia must isolate the variable x. The steps to do this are as follows:

1. Subtract 2 from both sides of the equation to get -7x = 49.
2. Divide both sides by -7 to get x = -7.

So, the value that represents x is Negative 7, and the correct answer is Option A) Negative 7.

Remember, following the sign multiplication rules, a negative number divided by another negative number gives a positive result (like (-49)/(-7) = 7). But since we want just x, our answer remains -7 because we are only dividing -49 by -7 when we isolate x.