College

Is the equation [tex]4x - x + 172 = 2640[/tex] equivalent to the equation representing Denise's purchase? Explain why or why not.

Given:
\[
\begin{aligned}
4x - x + 172 &= 3x + 172 \\
3x + 172 &= 2640 \\
3x &= 2640 - 172 \\
3x &= 2468 \\
x &= \frac{2468}{3} \\
x &= 822.67
\end{aligned}
\]

Solve the equation. What does your solution tell you about this situation?

Answer :

Sure, let's break down and solve the equation step-by-step.

Given equation:
[tex]\[ 4x - x + 172 = 2640 \][/tex]

First, we simplify the left side by combining like terms. Here, [tex]\(4x - x\)[/tex] simplifies to [tex]\(3x\)[/tex]:

[tex]\[ 3x + 172 = 2640 \][/tex]

Next, we need to solve for [tex]\(x\)[/tex]. To do this, we first isolate [tex]\(3x\)[/tex] by subtracting 172 from both sides of the equation:

[tex]\[ 3x + 172 - 172 = 2640 - 172 \][/tex]

This simplifies to:

[tex]\[ 3x = 2468 \][/tex]

To find [tex]\(x\)[/tex], we then divide both sides by 3:

[tex]\[ x = \frac{2468}{3} \][/tex]

When we solve this division:

[tex]\[ x \approx 822.67 \][/tex]

So, the solution is:

[tex]\[ x \approx 822.67 \][/tex]

This tells us that [tex]\(x\)[/tex], which represents some quantity in Denise's purchase, is approximately [tex]\(822.67\)[/tex]. To understand the full context, you would typically need additional information about what [tex]\(x\)[/tex] represents in terms of the purchase. However, this is the value of [tex]\(x\)[/tex] that makes the equation true.