Question

A student is solving the equation:

3 (2x + 4) = 6x + 5 + 7

Here are the students’ steps:

Step 1. 6x + 4 = 6x + 5 + 7

Step 2. 6x + 4 = 6x +12

Step 3. 4 = 12

Step 4. NO SOLUTION

What mistake did the student make?

Responses

The student made no mistakes.
The student made no mistakes. EndFragment

The student should have concluded there is one solution.
The student should have concluded there is one solution. EndFragment

The student incorrectly combined like terms on the right side.
The student incorrectly combined like terms on the right side. EndFragment

The student incorrectly distributed the 3.

Answers

GPT-4o mini
The mistake the student made is that **the student incorrectly distributed the 3** in Step 1.

Let's break it down:
1. The left side of the equation should have been distributed correctly: \(3(2x + 4)\) should result in \(6x + 12\), not \(6x + 4\).
2. The error led to incorrect steps that followed, ultimately resulting in a false conclusion of "NO SOLUTION."

So, the correct response is: **The student incorrectly distributed the 3.**

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