Question

Describe the error in the first step of solving the equation below:

2/2+1 - x/x+2 = 5
2(x+2) - x(x+1) =5

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Answer 1

The error in the first step of solving the equation is incorrect simplification. The equation given is 2/(2+1) - x/(x+2) = 52(x+2) - x(x+1) = 5. To solve the equation correctly, we need to follow the correct order of operations (PEMDAS/BODMAS) and simplify the expression in parentheses first.

Step-by-step explanation:

The error in the first step of solving the equation is incorrect simplification.

The equation given is 2/(2+1) - x/(x+2) = 52(x+2) - x(x+1) = 5.

The error occurs when simplifying 2/(2+1) to 2/3.

To solve the equation correctly, we need to follow the correct order of operations (PEMDAS/BODMAS) and simplify the expression in parentheses first.

The correct equation should be (2/2) + 1 - x/(x+2) = 52(x+2) - x(x+1) = 5.

From here, we can continue solving the equation step-by-step.