ben is solving the equation 5x - 1 = 19 he says that first he will subtract 1 from both sides, then multiply both sides by 5 explain bens error and solve for the correct answer for x make sure to show work

1 answer

Ben's error is that he should multiply both sides by 5 first before subtracting 1.

To solve the equation correctly, let's follow the correct order of operations:

5x - 1 = 19

Step 1: Add 1 to both sides of the equation to isolate the variable.

5x - 1 + 1 = 19 + 1

5x = 20

Step 2: Divide both sides by 5 to solve for x.

(5x)/5 = 20/5

x = 4

Therefore, the correct answer is x = 4.