Question 1181828: simplify |-3x+4x-2|
I get |4x-5| but my review says 11. can someone help? thank you. Found 2 solutions by josgarithmetic, greenestamps:Answer by josgarithmetic(39614) (Show Source):
You can't get a numerical answer like "11" by SIMPLIFYING an expression involving a variable. To get a numerical value, you need to EVALUATE the given expression for a given value of x.
So if your answer key says the answer is 11, you are either looking at the wrong problem or the wrong answer -- or possibly the answer key is plain wrong.
The expression as you show it is |-3x+4x-2|. The only thing you can do to simplify it is combine the two like terms, -3x and 4x, giving you x, making the simplified expression |x-2|.
You show your answer as |4x-5|; that would be the simplified expression if it were |-3+4x-2|, because then the terms that could be combined are -3 and -2, giving you the -5.
(