SOLUTION: answered Eighteen is fifteen less than the product of a number and three .Find the number

Question 1177080: answered
Eighteen is fifteen less than the product of a number and three .Find the number
Answer by greenestamps(13203) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!

"Eighteen is..."
The "is" is the equals sign:
18 = ...

"Eighteen is fifteen less than..."
"..fifteen less than..." indicates the 15 is going to be subtracted from something; we don't yet know what that something is:
18 = ??? - 15

"Eighteen is fifteen less than the product of a number and three."
Now we know what the fifteen is being subtracted from -- the product of a number and 3:
18 = (x)(3) - 15

That is how the mathematical statement looks if we translate the words as directly as possible. In the usual mathematical form the statement would be
18 = 3x - 15

Solve using basic algebraic steps.

Add 15 to both sides to get the x term alone:
18+15 = 3x-15+15
33 = 3x

Divide both sides by 3 to get x alone:
33/3 = 3x/3
11 = x

ANSWER: the number is 11

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