A math problem asks when two brothers will have saved the same amount of money. When Marta writes and solves the equation, her final step is 3 = 7.
Assuming Marta has done everything correctly, how should she interpret this solution?
A. The brothers started with the same amount of money.
B. The brothers will never have the same amount of money.
C. The brothers will have the same amount of money in 3 years.***
D. The brothers will have the same amount of money in 7 – 3 = 4 years.
nevermind, i figured it out, it's B.) The brothers will never have the same amount of money
To interpret the solution 3 = 7 in the context of the math problem, Marta should choose option C: The brothers will have the same amount of money in 3 years.
To explain how she arrived at this conclusion, let's analyze the equation and the process of solving it:
The equation provided is 3 = 7. In order to find when the two brothers will have the same amount of money, Marta likely set up an equation using variables. Let's assume the amount of money each brother has is represented by b1 and b2 respectively.
Marta's equation might look like this: b1 + 3 = b2
The equation above states that three units of time from now, or in 3 years, the first brother's savings, b1, added to 3, should be equal to the second brother's savings, b2.
However, after solving the equation, she arrived at the statement 3 = 7, which seems contradictory.
This contradiction suggests that either there was an error in the equation, or it implies that the brothers will never have the same amount of money. To determine the correct interpretation, we can assume that Marta has done everything correctly, as stated in the question.
Given that assumption, the correct interpretation would be that the brothers will have the same amount of money in 3 years. Even though the equation doesn't provide an actual numerical solution, it implies that any amount the first brother has, when increased by 3 years' worth of savings, will be equal to any amount the second brother has.
Therefore, the correct answer is option C: The brothers will have the same amount of money in 3 years.