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Find the missing number so that the equation has infinitely many solutions. – 5x–19= – 5x+

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The missing number is -20.

To have no solutions, the equation must be equivalent to a statement of the form 0 = a, where a is a non-zero constant.

Let's solve the equation for x:

1. Subtract 3 from both sides:

x + 3 - 3 = 5x + 19 - 3

x = 5x + 16

2. Subtract 5x from both sides:

x - 5x = 5x + 16 - 5x

-4x = 16

3. Divide both sides by -4:

-4x/-4 = 16/-4

x = -4

Now, substitute -4 for x in the original equation:

-4 + 3 = 5(-4) + 19

-1 = -20 + 19

-1 = -1

This is a true statement. However, for the equation to have no solutions, the resulting statement needs to be 0 = a, where a is a non-zero constant.

To achieve this, we need to add an additional term to the equation that will cancel out the existing terms. This term needs to have a coefficient equal to the negative of the coefficient of x in the original equation (5) and an opposite sign on the constant term.

Therefore, we need to add a term of -5x - 20. This will cancel out the 5x in the equation and leave us with:

-1 - 5x - 20 = 0

This equation satisfies the condition for having no solutions, as it is now equivalent to the statement 0 = -21, which is a true statement with a non-zero constant.

User Joaquim Ley
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