Help with equation: n-4(1+5N)=-2

[amstitt]

n-4(1+5N)=-2

I am trying to help my daughter and I can not figure this equation out any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

I keep coming up with
n-(4+20n)=-2
n-4-20n=-2
n-4-20n+4=-2+4
n-20n=2
-19n=2

Can you please tell me what I am doing wrong?

 

[stapel]

n-4(1+5N)=-2

With only one equation and two variables (namely, "n" and "N"), this cannot be solved numerically. You can only solve for one of the variables in terms of the other. Or did you really mean the equation to be as follows?

. . . . .n - 4(1 + 5n) = -2

I am trying to help my daughter....

For us to help her, it really would be best for us to hear from her. If we don't know what she has tried or where she is stuck, it is difficult to give her any helpful advice. Sorry!

Can you please tell me what I am doing wrong?

Other than not taking the last step to solve the equation, I don't see anything wrong. On what basis had you decided that you were on the wrong track? :?:

And does any of what you posted relate at all to anything your daughter is doing? (We'll be glad to find lesson links for each of you, but we really do need to know where each of you is in your respective studies.) :idea:

Thank you!

Eliz.

 

[amstitt]

I did mean the problem to be:

n-4(1+5n)=-2

So then her and I did it together as shown and we came up with:

n-(4+20n)=-2
n-4-20n=-2
n-4-20n+4=-2+4
n-20n=2
-19n=2
And then n= -0.10526318

And I don't think that is correct because the other 4 problems on the homework came out to whole numbers. So I was wondering if there was something simple her and I together were missing.

 

[stapel]

-19n=2
And then n= -0.10526318

Actually, no: the solution is "n = -2/19". The exact fractional form is usually ("almost always", in fact) preferred over a decimal approximation.

Yes, some high-school curricula give the highly-misleading impression that all answers must be whole numbers. This is entirely invalid.

Eliz.