Let's break down the words into an equation step by step.
- "Half a number" can be represented as \(\frac{x}{2}\), where \(x\) is the number.
- "Plus 9" means we add 9 to the half of the number: \(\frac{x}{2} + 9\).
- "Is -7" means the expression equals -7.
Putting it all together, the equation can be written as: \[ \frac{x}{2} + 9 = -7 \]
Now let's solve this equation step by step.
-
Subtract 9 from both sides: \[ \frac{x}{2} = -7 - 9 \] \[ \frac{x}{2} = -16 \]
-
Multiply both sides by 2 to isolate \(x\): \[ x = -16 \times 2 \] \[ x = -32 \]
So, the solution to the equation is: \[ x = -32 \]
1 answer