To simplify the expression \( 4 + 8(3x - 2) - 7x \), we'll apply the order of operations and use the distributive property. Let's go through the steps one by one.
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Start with the original expression: \[ 4 + 8(3x - 2) - 7x \]
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Apply the distributive property to \( 8(3x - 2) \): \[ 8(3x) - 8(2) = 24x - 16 \]
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Substitute this back into the expression: \[ 4 + (24x - 16) - 7x \]
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Combine like terms:
- First, combine the constant terms: \( 4 - 16 = -12 \).
- Next, combine the variable terms: \( 24x - 7x = 17x \).
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Putting it all together, we have: \[ -12 + 17x \]
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Rearranging the terms for clarity, we can write it as: \[ 17x - 12 \]
So, the simplified expression is: \[ \boxed{17x - 12} \]