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Exercises Numbers, fractions and percents

Example 3.62 from Prealgebra, 3.5 Solve Equations Using Integers; The Division Property of Equality

Solve Equations Using Integers; The Division Property of Equality: example 3.62

Solve: $a - 6 = −8$

Work it out on paper first. Then open the solution one step at a time, and stop as soon as you can finish on your own.

Solution

Add 6 to each side to undo the subtraction.

Simplify.

Check the result by substituting $−2$ into the original equation:

Substitute $−2$ for $a$

The solution to $a - 6 = −8$ is $−2 .$

Since $a = −2$ makes $a - 6 = −8$ a true statement, we found the solution to this equation.

Your turn

The book's Try It right after this example: same idea, new numbers. Only the answer is given.

Solve:

$a - 2 = −8$

How did it go?

PreviousSolve Equations Using Integers; The Division Property of Equality: example 3.61 Next Solve Equations Using Integers; The Division Property of Equality: example 3.63

From Prealgebra (1st edition) by OpenStax (Rice University), section 3.5, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Original at openstax.org. We split the solution into steps; the words, numbers and figures are the book's. OpenStax doesn't endorse this site.