Question

The sum of a number, w
, and 9
is multiplied by -3
, and the result is -15
.

What is the number?

Responses

Answer 1

Let's break down the problem step by step. We have the following statement:

"The sum of a number, \( w \), and 9 is multiplied by -3, and the result is -15."

We can translate this into an equation:

\[
-3(w + 9) = -15
\]

Now, let's solve for \( w \).

1. Divide both sides of the equation by -3 to eliminate the multiplication:

\[
w + 9 = \frac{-15}{-3}
\]

This simplifies to:

\[
w + 9 = 5
\]

2. Now, subtract 9 from both sides:

\[
w = 5 - 9
\]

This simplifies to:

\[
w = -4
\]

So, the number \( w \) is \( -4 \).