Consider the equation: 3(–4n – 9) = 21

Use the distributive property and properties of equality to solve for n.

n =

1 answer

To solve the equation \( 3(-4n - 9) = 21 \) using the distributive property, follow these steps:

  1. Apply the distributive property: \[ 3 \cdot -4n + 3 \cdot -9 = 21 \] This simplifies to: \[ -12n - 27 = 21 \]

  2. Isolate the term with \( n \): To do this, we can add 27 to both sides of the equation: \[ -12n - 27 + 27 = 21 + 27 \] This simplifies to: \[ -12n = 48 \]

  3. Solve for \( n \): Divide both sides by -12: \[ n = \frac{48}{-12} \] This simplifies to: \[ n = -4 \]

Thus, the solution is: \[ n = -4 \]