The sum of 38 and twice a number x is 124. What is −2x − 5?

Let's solve the equation step by step.

Let's represent the number x as "n".
Twice a number x is 2n.

The sum of 38 and twice a number x is 38 + 2n.

According to the problem, the sum of 38 and twice a number x is 124. So, the equation becomes:
38 + 2n = 124.

Now, let's solve for n:
2n = 124 - 38,
2n = 86,
n = 86/2,
n = 43.

Now let's calculate -2x - 5 using the value of x:
-2(43) - 5,
-86 - 5,
-91.

Therefore, -2x - 5 is equal to -91.

Let's break down the problem step-by-step:

Step 1: Set up the equation using the given information.
The sum of 38 and twice a number x is 124 can be written as:
38 + 2x = 124

Step 2: Solve for x.
Subtract 38 from both sides:
38 + 2x - 38 = 124 - 38
2x = 86

Divide both sides by 2:
2x/2 = 86/2
x = 43

Step 3: Calculate -2x - 5.
Substitute the value of x into the expression:
-2(43) - 5 = -86 - 5
-2x - 5 = -91

Therefore, -2x - 5 is equal to -91.

To find the value of \(−2x − 5\), we first need to determine the value of \(x\). From the given information, we know that the sum of 38 and twice the number \(x\) is 124.

So, we can set up the equation as follows:

\(38 + 2x = 124\)

To solve for \(x\), we need to isolate it on one side of the equation. To do that, we can subtract 38 from both sides:

\(2x = 124 - 38\)

\(2x = 86\)

Now, divide both sides of the equation by 2 to solve for \(x\):

\(x = \frac{86}{2} = 43\)

Therefore, the value of \(x\) is 43.

To find the value of \(−2x − 5\), substitute \(x = 43\) into the expression:

\(-2(43) - 5\)

This simplifies to:

\(-86 - 5\)

Finally, calculating the expression gives us the answer:

\(-2x - 5 = -91\)

Therefore, the value of \(-2x - 5\) is -91.