Question
There are many ways to start solving this equation. One way is to use the distributive property to rewrite the left side. This would eliminate the parentheses on the left so that we are closer to isolating c on the left. Start by distributing the 5 to the c. How can you represent 5·c?
5(c −4)
=
−15
−
=
−15
5(c −4)
=
−15
−
=
−15
Answers
GPT-4o mini
To solve the equation \( 5(c - 4) = -15 \) using the distributive property, we start by distributing the \( 5 \) to both terms inside the parentheses:
\[
5(c - 4) = 5 \cdot c - 5 \cdot 4
\]
This simplifies to:
\[
5c - 20 = -15
\]
Next, we want to isolate \( c \) on the left side. To do this, we can add \( 20 \) to both sides of the equation:
\[
5c - 20 + 20 = -15 + 20
\]
This simplifies to:
\[
5c = 5
\]
Now, we divide both sides by \( 5 \) to solve for \( c \):
\[
c = \frac{5}{5} = 1
\]
Thus, the solution to the equation is \( c = 1 \).
\[
5(c - 4) = 5 \cdot c - 5 \cdot 4
\]
This simplifies to:
\[
5c - 20 = -15
\]
Next, we want to isolate \( c \) on the left side. To do this, we can add \( 20 \) to both sides of the equation:
\[
5c - 20 + 20 = -15 + 20
\]
This simplifies to:
\[
5c = 5
\]
Now, we divide both sides by \( 5 \) to solve for \( c \):
\[
c = \frac{5}{5} = 1
\]
Thus, the solution to the equation is \( c = 1 \).