Need help for doing -8x - 24 = -29 1/3 (no examples in book)

Need help for daughter...we don't understand this exercise. She is homeschooled and we have run across a problem that we know we are missing something small. However, we cannot figure this out. Her book isn't showing any examples for this particular problem...Any help is appreciated.

-8x-24= -29 1/3 can you please show step by step work?

thanks,

Mimi

Re: Need help for daughter...we don't understand

you want to begin by isolating the variable x on one side. Start by adding 24 to either side, this will eliminate the -24 on the left hand side



-8x - 24 + 24= -29 + (1/3) + 24
-8x = -5 + (1/3)

Now divide both sides by -8 to get x by itself.

-8x/8 = (-5 + (1/3))/-8
x = (-16/3) / -8
x = 2/3

check by plugging (2/3) back into the original equation:
-8x - 24 = -29 + (1/3)
-8(2/3) - 24 = -88/3
(-16/3) - 24 = -88/3
-88/3 = -88/3


"What you do to one side, you must do to the other to keep the equation balanced"

Cheers,
John

Re: Need help for daughter...we don't understand

raginblaze said:

Her book isn't showing any examples for this particular problem.

Click to expand...

How does the given exercise differ from the other linear equations she's solved? Has she only done so-called "one-step" equations before, where she needed only to multiply, divide, add, or subtract one value to finish the exercise? :?:

We'll be glad to try to find links to online lessons, to fill the "gap" in your curriculum, but it would help if we knew what that "gap" was. Thank you!

Eliz.