Solve the equation in part

9.75p+10=9.35p+20
Explain how you solved the equation and what the solution represents. Can you start with a different first step?

1 answer

To solve the equation, we will first rearrange it by moving the constant terms to one side of the equation and the variable terms to the other side.

9.75p + 10 = 9.35p + 20

Subtracting 9.35p from both sides:

9.75p - 9.35p + 10 = 9.35p - 9.35p + 20

0.4p + 10 = 20

Subtracting 10 from both sides:

0.4p + 10 - 10 = 20 - 10

0.4p = 10

To isolate the variable p, we divide both sides of the equation by 0.4:

(0.4p) / 0.4 = 10 / 0.4

p = 25

Therefore, the solution to the equation is p = 25. This means that when p is equal to 25, the equation is satisfied.

Starting with a different first step:
Instead of rearranging the equation and moving terms, we can start by subtracting 9.35p from both sides:

9.75p + 10 - 9.35p = 9.35p + 20 - 9.35p

0.4p + 10 = 20

Continuing with the same steps as before:

0.4p + 10 - 10 = 20 - 10

0.4p = 10

(0.4p) / 0.4 = 10 / 0.4

p = 25

Regardless of the starting step, we reach the solution p = 25. This value represents the value of p that makes the equation true.