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consider this equation:

4(3x - 2) = -24

Correctly order the steps used to solve this equation

1 answer

To solve the equation \( 4(3x - 2) = -24 \), we can follow these steps:

  1. Distribute the 4 on the left side: \[ 4 \cdot 3x - 4 \cdot 2 = -24 \] This simplifies to: \[ 12x - 8 = -24 \]

  2. Add 8 to both sides to isolate the term with \( x \): \[ 12x - 8 + 8 = -24 + 8 \] This simplifies to: \[ 12x = -16 \]

  3. Divide both sides by 12 to solve for \( x \): \[ \frac{12x}{12} = \frac{-16}{12} \] This simplifies to: \[ x = -\frac{4}{3} \]

In summary, the correctly ordered steps are:

  1. Distribute the 4.
  2. Add 8 to both sides.
  3. Divide by 12 to solve for \( x \).