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Fourteen more than three times a number is equal to the difference between −51

and twice the number. Find the number.

User Pepak
by
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1 Answer

2 votes

Final answer:

The student's algebra problem involves setting up and solving a linear equation. The equation, based on the problem statement, is 3x + 14 = -51 - 2x. Solving this equation, we find that the number in question is -13.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question presented is a typical linear equation problem, which requires finding the value of a number that satisfies a given condition. We are told that 'fourteen more than three times a number is equal to the difference between −51 and twice the number'. This can be translated into an algebraic equation which we can solve step-by-step.

Let's define the unknown number as x. Then, we can write the equation as:

3x + 14 = -51 - 2x

To find the value of x, we need to bring like terms together:

  1. Add 2x to both sides of the equation to get all x terms on one side:
  2. 3x + 2x + 14 = -51
  3. 5x + 14 = -51
  4. Subtract 14 from both sides to isolate the term with x:
  5. 5x = -51 - 14
  6. 5x = -65
  7. Divide both sides by 5 to solve for x:
  8. x = -65 / 5
  9. x = -13

Therefore, the number we are looking for is x = -13.

User Kurt Stutsman
by
7.4k points