1/3b=-3
i know u would divide both sides by 1/3 and it would cancell out the 1/3 and when u divide 1/3 by -3 you will get -1/9 so u flip it u willl get -9 right?
i beleive it would be a positive 9
You're right, Josh. It's -9.
so if u flip it the negative sign will go away and turn it too positive
No. It's -9.
Substitute -9 for b in the original equation. Doesn't that prove that -9 is the answer?
Actually, dividing both sides of the equation 1/3b = -3 by 1/3 would not result in the cancellation you mentioned. When you divide by a fraction, you multiply the numerator by the reciprocal of the fraction. In this case, you would multiply both sides by the reciprocal of 1/3, which is 3/1 (or simply 3).
So the step would be:
1/3b = -3
Multiply both sides by 3:
(1/3b) * 3 = -3 * 3
(1/3) * (3/1) * b = -9
Now, when you multiply 1/3 by 3/1, you get 1. Hence, the equation simplifies to:
1 * b = -9
b = -9
So, the solution to the equation 1/3b = -3 is b = -9, not -1/9 or -9 (flipped).