Please help solve: -2[4 - (3b + 2)] = 5 - 2(3b + 6)

[jmarquez]

Please help solve: -2[4 - (3b + 2)] = 5 - 2(3b + 6)

 

[Deleted member 4993]

Re: Please help sove

-2[4-(3b+2)]=5-2(3b+6)

Please share with us your work/thoughts - indicating exactly where you are stuck - so that we know where to begin to help you.

 

[jmarquez]

Re: Please help sove

with the -2[4-(3b+2)]

 

[Loren]

Re: Please help sove

The order of operations convention stipulates that innermost grouping symbols are removed first.

 

[lisaz0224]

Re: Please help sove

-2[4-(3b+2)]=5-2(3b+6)

-2[4-(3b+2)]
I just learned this in class myself, so I'm not completely positive. I think it's like this:
-2(4-3b-2)
-8+6b+4
6b-4

then you fill that in and do the rest of it. Plz correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[mmm4444bot]

Re: Please help sove

-2(4-3b-2)
-8+6b+4
6b-4

Hi Lisa:

Your end result for the left side of the posted equation is correct. I will make one comment.

When you get to something like -2 * (4 - 3b - 2), the order of operations says to finish working inside the parentheses before multiplying the contents by -2.

-2 * (2 - 3b)

-4 + 6b

It may seem like a trivial difference in this exercise, but if you had an expression that involved many terms inside the parentheses, it could very well turn out to be much easier to do several additions to reduce the number of multiplications. Sometimes, terms inside the parentheses will cancel each other out when added together. In these cases, doing the additions inside the parentheses first will greatly reduce your work when you next go to use the Distributive Property.

It's best to always following the order of operations.

Cheers,

~ Mark