Question

nd the missing number so that the equation has infinitely many solutions.

3x+17=

x+
–2x

Answers

Answered by GPT-4o mini
To find the missing number so that the equation \( -3x + 17 = -x - 2x \) has infinitely many solutions, we first simplify the equation.

Starting from:

\[
-3x + 17 = -x - 2x
\]

We can simplify the right side:

\[
-x - 2x = -3x
\]

Now the equation becomes:

\[
-3x + 17 = -3x
\]

To have infinitely many solutions, the equation must hold true for any value of \( x \). This means the two sides need to be equal. We can achieve this by manipulating the equation.

Rearranging gives us:

\[
-3x + 17 + 3x = 0
\]

This simplifies to:

\[
17 = 0
\]

This is a contradiction, which suggests we need to find a way that allows for a different interpretation leading to cancels that can equalize the terms.

To achieve infinitely many solutions, both sides of the equation must be essentially the same after simplification; thus, if both sides share the same linear form with identical coefficients (including those constants), we can equate the coefficients.

Thus we can express the left side:

To set it up in the same form, let us consider:

\[
-3x + 17 = -3x + C
\]

For infinite solutions (meaning they always are equal), we must ensure that the constants are equal. Hence, \( C \) must be \( 17 \).

Therefore, we conclude:

**The missing number should be 17.**

So the complete equation with infinite solutions is:

\[
-3x + 17 = -x - 2x + 17
\]

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