Josh simplified 4x - 8x ÷ 2 and said the answer was -2x. What was Josh's error? What should his answer should've been?

His error was not to use grouping symbols.

(4x-8x)/2=-2x

4x -(8x/2)=zero

Josh's error was in the order of operations. When simplifying expressions, it is important to follow the rules of operations, which state that multiplication and division should be done before addition and subtraction.

In this case, the expression 4x - 8x ÷ 2 should be simplified by first dividing 8x by 2, and then subtracting the result from 4x.

The correct steps are as follows:

1. Divide 8x by 2, which gives 4x.
2. Subtract 4x from 4x, which cancels the terms out completely.

Therefore, the correct answer would be 0, not -2x.

To determine Josh's error, let's simplify the expression 4x - 8x ÷ 2 step by step:

1. First, we need to divide 8x by 2, which gives us 4x.

2. Next, we subtract 4x from 4x, resulting in 0.

Therefore, the correct simplification of 4x - 8x ÷ 2 is 0, not -2x. Josh's error lies in claiming that the answer is -2x when it should be 0.

Thanks!