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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 92

In Exercises 91–100, find all values of x satisfying the given conditions. y = |2 - 3x| and y = 13

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Start with the given equations: \(y = |2 - 3x|\) and \(y = 13\). Since both expressions equal \(y\), set them equal to each other: \(|2 - 3x| = 13\).
Recall that the absolute value equation \(|A| = B\) (where \(B > 0\)) splits into two cases: \(A = B\) or \(A = -B\). Apply this to \(|2 - 3x| = 13\) to get two equations: \(2 - 3x = 13\) and \(2 - 3x = -13\).
Solve the first equation \(2 - 3x = 13\) by isolating \(x\): subtract 2 from both sides to get \(-3x = 11\), then divide both sides by \(-3\) to find \(x\).
Solve the second equation \(2 - 3x = -13\) similarly: subtract 2 from both sides to get \(-3x = -15\), then divide both sides by \(-3\) to find \(x\).
The solutions from both cases give all values of \(x\) that satisfy the original equation \(|2 - 3x| = 13\).

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Key Concepts

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

Absolute Value Function

The absolute value of a number represents its distance from zero on the number line, always yielding a non-negative result. For an expression like |2 - 3x|, it means the value inside the bars can be positive or negative, but the output is always positive or zero.
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Solving Absolute Value Equations

To solve equations involving absolute values, set the expression inside the absolute value equal to both the positive and negative of the given value. For |2 - 3x| = 13, solve 2 - 3x = 13 and 2 - 3x = -13 separately to find all possible x values.
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Linear Equations

Linear equations are algebraic expressions of the first degree, meaning variables are not raised to any power other than one. After removing the absolute value, solving 2 - 3x = ±13 involves isolating x using basic algebraic operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
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