Question

Suppose the numbers, 1.3, 0.2, -5, each coefficients in separate equations. Choose whether you would solve the equation by multiplying each side by the multiplicative inverse of the coefficient or by dividing each side by the coefficient. Write the number in the appropriate space.

Answer 1

To solve for a variable, you can either multiply both sides of the equation by the multiplicative inverse or divide both sides by the coefficient. The decision is based on which method simplifies the calculations, especially when dealing with decimals.

Step-by-step explanation:

To solve equations, we can either multiply each side by the multiplicative inverse of the coefficient or divide each side by the coefficient itself. Multiplying by the multiplicative inverse and dividing by the coefficient are equivalent actions. For each given number, the choice between multiplication and division is based on convenience and clarity.

• For the coefficient 1.3, it may be more convenient to multiply each side by its multiplicative inverse, which is approximately 0.769, to avoid working with decimals.
• For the coefficient 0.2, multiply by its multiplicative inverse, which is 5, for the same reason.
• For the coefficient -5, simply dividing each side by -5 is straightforward since -5 is a whole number.

In conclusion, whether to multiply by the multiplicative inverse or divide by the coefficient depends on which method simplifies the calculation.