Question

(2x - 3)(x + 4) = 0. Let x = a and x = b be unique solutions to the equation above. What is the value of -a - b?

a) -7
b) -5
c) 7
d) 5

Answer 1

The value of -a - b is 2.5

Step-by-step explanation:

The given equation is (2x - 3)(x + 4) = 0. We need to find the values of a and b such that the equation is satisfied. To solve this, we set each factor equal to zero and solve for x:

2x - 3 = 0 => 2x = 3 => x = 3/2

x + 4 = 0 => x = -4

Therefore, the unique solutions to the equation are x = 3/2 and x = -4. To find the value of -a - b, we substitute the values into the expression:

-a - b = -(3/2) - (-4) = -3/2 + 4 = 5/2 = 2.5