What are the positive and negative answers to |3c + 1| -4 = 13
To solve the equation |3c + 1| - 4 = 13, we'll need to consider both the positive and negative cases.
Positive Case:
If 3c + 1 is positive, then |3c + 1| will be equal to 3c + 1.
So, we can rewrite the equation as (3c + 1) - 4 = 13.
Simplifying this equation, we have:
3c - 3 = 13
Adding 3 to both sides gives:
3c = 16
Dividing both sides by 3, we get:
c = 16/3
Negative Case:
If 3c + 1 is negative, then |3c + 1| will be equal to -(3c + 1).
So, we can rewrite the equation as -(3c + 1) - 4 = 13.
Simplifying this equation, we have:
-3c - 1 - 4 = 13
Combining like terms, we get:
-3c - 5 = 13
Adding 5 to both sides gives:
-3c = 18
Dividing both sides by -3, we get:
c = -6
Therefore, the positive answer is c = 16/3 and the negative answer is c = -6.