Solving the equation -4(2 x)=8
To solve the equation -4(2 x)=8, we need to follow these steps:
- Use the distributive property to simplify the left side of the equation
- Combine like terms on the left side of the equation
- Divide both sides of the equation by the coefficient of x
Step 1: Use the distributive property to simplify the left side of the equation
The distributive property states that a(b + c) = ab + ac. Using this property, we can simplify -4(2 x) as follows:
-4(2 x) = -4 * 2 * x = -8x
Step 2: Combine like terms on the left side of the equation
Now that we have simplified the left side of the equation, we can combine like terms to get:
-8x = 8
Step 3: Divide both sides of the equation by the coefficient of x
Finally, we can solve for x by dividing both sides of the equation by -8:
x = -1
Conclusion
The solution to the equation -4(2 x)=8 is x = -1. This means that if we substitute x = -1 back into the original equation, we get:
-4(2 x) = -4(2 * -1) = 8
So x = -1 is indeed a solution to the equation.