document.write( "Question 213060This question is from textbook Prentice PRE-ALGEBRA
\n" ); document.write( ": Trying to simplify this equation and Justify each step.
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Algebra.Com's Answer #160952 by Edwin McCravy(20054)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Edwin's explanation:
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document.write( "First of all it's not an \"equation\", for to be\r\n" );
document.write( "called an equation, there must be an equal\r\n" );
document.write( "sign in it.  Otherwise it is called \"an expression\"\r\n" );
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document.write( "Equations are said to be \"solved\"\r\n" );
document.write( "Expressions are said to be \"simplified\".\r\n" );
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document.write( "So much for correct wordage.  Let's look at what\r\n" );
document.write( "you did:\r\n" );
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\n" ); document.write( "w+3w+4(5+w-3w)
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That is wrong\r\n" );
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document.write( "You thought the 5+w-3w became 2w, but it doesn't.\r\n" );
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document.write( "Let's look at \r\n" );
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document.write( "5+w-3w\r\n" );
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document.write( "You must combine only like terms. the term \"5\" and\r\n" );
document.write( "the term \"-3w\" are NOT like terms.  so you cannot\r\n" );
document.write( "combine them as you tried to do and got \"2w\".  You also\r\n" );
document.write( "cannot ignore the \"w\" sitting there in between them    \r\n" );
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document.write( "That \"w\" means \"1w\", so let's write it that way:\r\n" );
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document.write( "5+1w-3w\r\n" );
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document.write( "The only like terms are the \"1w\" and the \"-3w\".  You \r\n" );
document.write( "combine them by combining their coefficients 1-3 as\r\n" );
document.write( "-2 and then putting the letter \"w\" on, getting \"-2w\".\r\n" );
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document.write( "So \r\n" );
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document.write( "5+1w-3w\r\n" );
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document.write( "becomes \r\n" );
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document.write( "5-2w,  not \"2w\"\r\n" );
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document.write( "So starting over your corrected simplification is:\r\n" );
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document.write( "w+3w+4(5+w-3w)\r\n" );
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document.write( "Put in the invisible 1 coefficients on the \"w\"'s\r\n" );
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document.write( "1w+3w+4(5+1w-3w)\r\n" );
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document.write( "Combine the terms of \"1w+3w\" as \"4w\"\r\n" );
document.write( "Combine the terms of \"1w-3w\" as \"-2w\"\r\n" );
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document.write( "4w+4(5-2w)\r\n" );
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document.write( "Use the distributive principle to multiply\r\n" );
document.write( "the 4 just before the parentheses by both terms\r\n" );
document.write( "inside the parentheses.  You get:\r\n" );
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document.write( "4w+20-8w\r\n" );
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document.write( "Now combine the \"4w\" term with the \"-8w\" term\r\n" );
document.write( "and get \"-4w\"\r\n" );
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document.write( "-4w+20\r\n" );
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document.write( "That's the final simplification.\r\n" );
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document.write( "Edwin
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