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Ch. 1 - Equations and Inequalities
Blitzer - College Algebra 8th Edition
Blitzer8th EditionCollege AlgebraISBN: 9780136970514Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 2, Problem 25

Solve and check each linear equation. 25 - [2 + 5y - 3(y + 2)] = - 3(2y - 5) - [5(y - 1) - 3y + 3]

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1
Start by expanding the expressions inside the brackets on both sides of the equation. For the left side, distribute the -3 across the terms inside the parentheses: \(-3(y + 2)\) becomes \(-3y - 6\). For the right side, distribute the -3 across \(2y - 5\) and also expand the terms inside the brackets: \(5(y - 1)\) becomes \(5y - 5\).
Rewrite the equation after expansion: \(25 - [2 + 5y - 3y - 6] = -3(2y - 5) - [5y - 5 - 3y + 3]\). Then simplify inside the brackets by combining like terms: on the left, combine \(5y - 3y\) and constants; on the right, combine \(5y - 3y\) and constants inside the brackets.
Remove the brackets by applying the subtraction sign outside the brackets on the left side and the negative sign on the right side. This means changing the signs of the terms inside the brackets accordingly.
Combine like terms on both sides of the equation to simplify it into the form \(ay + b = cy + d\), where \(a\), \(b\), \(c\), and \(d\) are constants.
Isolate the variable \(y\) by moving all terms containing \(y\) to one side and constants to the other side. Then solve for \(y\) by dividing both sides by the coefficient of \(y\).

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Distributive Property

The distributive property allows you to multiply a single term by each term inside parentheses. For example, a(b + c) = ab + ac. This is essential for simplifying expressions and removing parentheses in linear equations.
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Combining Like Terms

Combining like terms involves adding or subtracting terms that have the same variable raised to the same power. This simplifies expressions and makes it easier to isolate the variable when solving equations.
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Solving Linear Equations

Solving linear equations means finding the value of the variable that makes the equation true. This involves isolating the variable on one side using inverse operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division.
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