Question

Marge simplified the expression as shown below: -8b + 156 + 14 = 21b

What mistake did Marge make, and what is the correct simplified version of the expression?
A) Marge forgot to combine like terms; correct expression: -29b + 170 = 0
B) Marge forgot to distribute; correct expression: -8b + 170 = 21b
C) Marge made no mistake; correct expression: -8b + 170 = 21b
D) Marge forgot to subtract 14; correct expression: -8b + 142 = 21b

Answer 1

Marge made a mistake by forgetting to combine like terms. The correct simplified expression is -8b + 170 = 21b.

Step-by-step explanation:

Marge made a mistake by forgetting to combine like terms. The correct expression should be -8b + 170 = 21b.

To simplify the expression, we can combine the constant terms (-8b +14) and (-21b) to get -8b + 14 - 21b.

This gives us -29b + 14 = 0.

Then, we can simplify further by subtracting 14 from both sides to get -29b = -14. Finally, we can divide both sides of the equation by -29 to solve for b. So the correct simplified expression is -8b + 170 = 21b.