Four times the sum of a number and four is the same as two multiplied by two less than three times the number. What is the solution to this problem?(1 point) __

1 answer

Let the unknown number be represented by \( x \). We can translate the problem statement into an equation.

The first part of the statement is "four times the sum of a number and four", which can be expressed as:

\[ 4(x + 4) \]

The second part is "two multiplied by two less than three times the number", which can be expressed as:

\[ 2(3x - 2) \]

Now we can set the two expressions equal to each other, creating the equation:

\[ 4(x + 4) = 2(3x - 2) \]

Next, we will simplify both sides of the equation.

Starting with the left-hand side:

\[ 4(x + 4) = 4x + 16 \]

Now simplifying the right-hand side:

\[ 2(3x - 2) = 6x - 4 \]

Now we have the equation:

\[ 4x + 16 = 6x - 4 \]

To solve for \( x \), we will first move the \( 6x \) term to the left side by subtracting \( 6x \) from both sides:

\[ 4x - 6x + 16 = -4 \] \[ -2x + 16 = -4 \]

Next, we will isolate the \( -2x \) term by subtracting 16 from both sides:

\[ -2x = -4 - 16 \] \[ -2x = -20 \]

Now, divide both sides by -2:

\[ x = \frac{-20}{-2} \] \[ x = 10 \]

Thus, the solution to the problem is:

\[ \boxed{10} \]