In the equation 6x – 2 = –4x + 2, Spencer claims that the first step is to add 4x to both sides. Jeremiah claims that the first step is to subtract 6x from both sides. Who is correct? Explain.
Jeremiah is correct.
The first step in solving the equation 6x – 2 = –4x + 2 is to simplify both sides of the equation by combining like terms. Adding 4x to both sides would make the equation more complicated and not simplify it at all.
Subtracting 6x from both sides will simplify the equation to:
6x - 6x - 2 = -4x - 6x + 2
-2 = -10x + 2
Then, you can continue to solve for x by subtracting 2 from both sides, and then dividing by -10:
-4 = -10x
4/10 = x
x = -0.4
Therefore, Jeremiah's approach is correct and Spencer's is incorrect.