Question

I need help solving this problem

Answer 1

9514 1404 393

Explanation:

When something is subtracted from both sides of the equation, the justification is the subtraction property of equality. When something multiplies both sides of the equation, the justification is the multiplication property of equality. (This should not be a mystery.)

Here, the equation is solved by subtracting 17/3, then subtracting 1/2x, then multiplying by the inverse of the coefficient of x. After each of these steps is a simplification.

  $\begin{array}{cc}\dfrac{17}{3}-\dfrac{3}{4}x=\dfrac{1}{2}x+5&\text{given}\\\\\dfrac{17}{3}-\dfrac{3}{4}x-\dfrac{17}{3}=\dfrac{1}{2}x+5-\dfrac{17}{3}&\text{subtraction property ...}\\\\-\dfrac{3}{4}x=\dfrac{1}{2}x-\dfrac{2}{3}&\text{simplify}\\\\-\dfrac{3}{4}x-\dfrac{1}{2}x=\dfrac{1}{2}x-\dfrac{2}{3}-\dfrac{1}{2}x&\text{subtraction property ...} \end{array}$

  $\begin{array}{cc}-\dfrac{5}{4}x=-\dfrac{2}{3}&\text{simplify}\\\\-\dfrac{5}{4}x\times-\dfrac{4}{5}=-\dfrac{2}{3}\times-\dfrac{4}{5}&\text{multiplication property ...}\\\\x=\dfrac{8}{15}&\text{simplify} \end{array}$