Question

Use the five-step strategy for solving word problems to find the number or numbers described in the following exercise.

When 3 times a number is subtracted from 7 times the number, the result is 44. What is the number?

Answer 1

The number is -11.

Explanation:

3 times a number:

A number is x, and thus, 3 times a number is 3x.

Subtracted from 7 times the number

We have 3x.

Subtracting from 7 times the number is the same as subtracting from 7x. Thus 3x - 7x = -4x.

The result is 44. What is the number?

`-4x = 44`

`4x = -44`

`x = -(44)/(4)`

`x = -11`

The number is -11.