If it says: "five less than three times a number is 20 More than half a number" would the equation be 3n-5=n/2+20? If so what would the answer be?
Please help this is a bit confusing!
Yes, it's the right equation.
3n-5=n/2+20
3n - n/2 = 25
6n - n = 50
5n = 50
n = 10
Okay, but I believe you have lost the equal sign when you switched from 3n-5=n/2+20 to 3n-n/2=25.
No, she did not lose anything
she subtracted n/2 both sides of the equal sign and
she added five on both sides of the equal sign.
Oh, I did the oppistie of that. I multiplied the 2 from n/2 on both sides of the equal sign and I got, n, as 5. However, how could you subtract from a division to a multiplication?
ok, I will do it your way
2(3n-5) = 2(n/2+20)
6 n -10 = n + 40
5 n = 50
n = 10
To solve this problem, we can break down the given information and translate it into an equation.
The statement "five less than three times a number" can be represented as 3n - 5, where n is the unknown number.
The phrase "20 more than half a number" can be written as n/2 + 20.
Therefore, the equation becomes:
3n - 5 = n/2 + 20
To solve the equation, we can start by clearing any fractions. We can do this by multiplying both sides of the equation by 2 to eliminate the fraction:
2(3n - 5) = 2(n/2 + 20)
6n - 10 = n + 40
Next, we can simplify the equation by combining like terms. We can do this by subtracting n from both sides of the equation:
6n - n - 10 = n - n + 40
5n - 10 = 40
Now, we can isolate the variable by adding 10 to both sides of the equation:
5n - 10 + 10 = 40 + 10
5n = 50
Finally, we can solve for n by dividing both sides of the equation by 5:
5n/5 = 50/5
n = 10
Therefore, the solution to the equation 3n - 5 = n/2 + 20 is n = 10.
I hope this explanation helps clarify the process of solving the equation!