High School

What term can you add to [tex]\frac{5}{6} x - 4[/tex] to make it equivalent to [tex]\frac{1}{2} x - 4[/tex]?

A. [tex]-\frac{1}{3} x[/tex]

B. [tex]-\frac{1}{3}[/tex]

C. [tex]\frac{1}{2} x[/tex]

D. [tex]\frac{1}{2}[/tex]

Answer :

To solve the problem of finding the term needed to make the expression [tex]\(\frac{5}{6}x - 4\)[/tex] equivalent to [tex]\(\frac{1}{2}x - 4\)[/tex], we need to focus on the coefficients of [tex]\(x\)[/tex] in both expressions.

1. Identify the Coefficients:
- The coefficient of [tex]\(x\)[/tex] in [tex]\(\frac{5}{6}x - 4\)[/tex] is [tex]\(\frac{5}{6}\)[/tex].
- The coefficient of [tex]\(x\)[/tex] in [tex]\(\frac{1}{2}x - 4\)[/tex] is [tex]\(\frac{1}{2}\)[/tex].

2. Calculate the Difference in Coefficients:
- We want to adjust [tex]\(\frac{5}{6}\)[/tex] to be equal to [tex]\(\frac{1}{2}\)[/tex].
- To find the difference, subtract the two coefficients:
[tex]\[
\frac{1}{2} - \frac{5}{6}
\][/tex]

3. Simplify the Difference:
- Convert [tex]\(\frac{1}{2}\)[/tex] to an equivalent fraction with a denominator of 6. This is [tex]\(\frac{3}{6}\)[/tex].
- Now, subtract:
[tex]\[
\frac{3}{6} - \frac{5}{6} = -\frac{2}{6}
\][/tex]
- Simplify [tex]\(-\frac{2}{6}\)[/tex] to [tex]\(-\frac{1}{3}\)[/tex].

4. Conclusion:
- The term you need to add to [tex]\(\frac{5}{6}x - 4\)[/tex] to make it equivalent to [tex]\(\frac{1}{2}x - 4\)[/tex] is [tex]\(-\frac{1}{3}x\)[/tex].

Therefore, the correct term is [tex]\(-\frac{1}{3}x\)[/tex].