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What is the value of a in the equation -a - 2 = -3a + 8?

Group of answer choices

10

5

-5

-10

1 answer

To solve the equation \(-a - 2 = -3a + 8\), we can first get all the terms involving \(a\) on one side and the constant terms on the other side.

  1. Start with the original equation: \[ -a - 2 = -3a + 8 \]

  2. Add \(3a\) to both sides: \[ -a + 3a - 2 = 8 \] This simplifies to: \[ 2a - 2 = 8 \]

  3. Next, add 2 to both sides: \[ 2a - 2 + 2 = 8 + 2 \] Simplifying this gives us: \[ 2a = 10 \]

  4. Finally, divide both sides by 2: \[ a = 5 \]

Thus, the value of \(a\) is \(5\). Therefore, the correct answer is:

5