Question

Maria said the expression -5n+4+9n-6 is equivalent to 2n. What error did Maria likely make?

(A) She did not combine the like terms.
(B) She added the 4 and -6 incorrectly.
(C) She divided both sides of the equation by 2.
(D) She multiplied both sides of the equation by 2.

Answer 1

Maria likely made the error of not combining the like terms in the expression -5n+4+9n-6.

Step-by-step explanation:

Maria likely made the error of not combining the like terms. The expression -5n+4+9n-6 can be simplified by combining the -5n and 9n terms to get 4n. Combining the constants 4 and -6 gives us -2. So the simplified expression is 4n - 2, which is not equivalent to 2n.

Example:

-5n + 4 + 9n - 6 = -5n + 9n + 4 - 6 = 4n - 2