Question

Translate the following into an equation and then solve the equation.

"Five less than the product of a number and -2 is -13

(1 point)
Responses

The number is -5
The number is -5

The number is -12
The number is -12

The number is -8
The number is -8

The number is 4

Answer 1

Let's translate the statement into an equation step by step.

1. Let the unknown number be represented by \( x \).
2. The product of the number and -2 is represented as \( -2x \).
3. Five less than that product can be written as \( -2x - 5 \).
4. The statement tells us that this expression is equal to -13.

Putting it all together, we can write the equation:

\[
-2x - 5 = -13
\]

Now, we will solve the equation:

1. Start by adding 5 to both sides to isolate the term with \( x \):

\[
-2x - 5 + 5 = -13 + 5
\]

This simplifies to:

\[
-2x = -8
\]

2. Next, divide both sides by -2 to solve for \( x \):

\[
x = \frac{-8}{-2}
\]

This simplifies to:

\[
x = 4
\]

So, the solution is:

The number is \( 4 \).