Question

Ahmed simplified the expression 3/4 (8x + 4) to 6x + 3

which procedure can Ahmed follow to verify that he did the simplification process correctly?

1. Substitute 2 into each expression, and evaluate them.

2. Add 6x + 3 to 3/4 (8x + 4).

3. Substitute 1 into the first expression, substitute 2 into the second expression, and evaluate them.

4. Subtract 6x + 3 from 3/4 (8x + 4).

Answer 1

The student is advised to substitute a common value into both the original and simplified expression and compare the results. However, the original simplification by Ahmed is incorrect, and the verification process will reveal this when substituting any value for x.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct procedure for Ahmed to verify whether he simplified the expression 3/4 (8x + 4) to 6x + 3 correctly would be to substitute a common value for x in both the original and the simplified expression and evaluate them. If both expressions yield the same result after substitution, the simplification is correct.

1. Substitute x = 2 into the original expression: 3/4 (8(2) + 4) = 3/4 (16 + 4) = 3/4 * 20 = 15.
2. Substitute x = 2 into the simplified expression: 6(2) + 3 = 12 + 3 = 15.
3. Since both expressions evaluate to the same number when x = 2, the simplification is correct. If Ahmed finds different results, he must revisit the simplification process.

It is important to note that Ahmed's original simplification is incorrect as the correct simplification of 3/4 (8x + 4) should be 6x + 3, and not 6x + 3 as he did. Therefore, the verification process will demonstrate this error.