SOLUTION: I thought I already submitted this but don't see it! Help please as I can't figure out the order of distribution, is it the 30(6+24) or the 1/2?? {{{3*S+(-1/2)(6+24(-1/3+(1/4)*

Algebra ->  Expressions-with-variables -> SOLUTION: I thought I already submitted this but don't see it! Help please as I can't figure out the order of distribution, is it the 30(6+24) or the 1/2?? {{{3*S+(-1/2)(6+24(-1/3+(1/4)*      Log On


   

Question 100750This question is from textbook Algebra structure and Method
: I thought I already submitted this but don't see it! Help please as I can't figure out the order of distribution, is it the 30(6+24) or the 1/2??
3%2AS%2B%28-1%2F2%29%286%2B24%28-1%2F3%2B%281%2F4%29%2AS%29%29
I have gotten 3 different answers and cannot help my son!!
Thanks!
Kim This question is from textbook Algebra structure and Method

Found 3 solutions by stanbon, oberobic, doukungfoo:
Answer by stanbon(75887) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
3s+(-1/2){6+24(-1/3+1/4S)
You are getting various answers because your
posting can be interpreted in several ways.
-------------
Please check your book and post the problem
exactly as it is printed.
Thanks,
Stan H.

Answer by oberobic(2304) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
The basic expression is: 3S%2B%28-1%2F2%29%2A%286%2B24%28-1%2F3%2B%281%2F4%29%2AS%29%29
Always work inside out: Start with the innermost parentheses and work out from there.
The innermost parenthesis is:
-1%2F3%2B%281%2F4%29%2AS
We cannot combine the terms, other than to note that %281%2F4%29%2AS=S%2F4 so we "pop" out to the next level of parenthesis.
We always multiply or divide before we add or subtract (unless there are parenthesis that force us to do otherwise), so the next step is to multiply by 24.
24%28-1%2F3%2B1%2F4%2AS%29=-24%2F3%2B%2824%2F4%29S+=+-8+%2B+6S
Now the equation is a bit simpler:
3S%2B%28-1%2F2%29%2A%286%2B%28-8+%2B+6S%29%29
The innermost parentheses are easy to remove because they are simply separators.
3S%2B%28-1%2F2%29%2A%286%2B-8%2B6S%29=3S%2B%28-1%2F2%29%2A%28-2%2B6S%29
Now we continue by doing the righthand multiplication to handle these parentheses:
%28-1%2F2%29%2A%28-2%2B6S%29=%282%2F2-6%2F2%2AS%29, which is simply %281-3S%29
Substituting back into the expression, we have
3S%2B1-3S=1, which is the end of the chain of calculations. The elaborate expression that we started with, namely 3S%2B%28-1%2F2%29%2A%286%2B24%28-1%2F3%2B%281%2F4%29%2AS%29%29
is just a complicated way of writing the number 1.

Answer by doukungfoo(195) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Did the original problem have
1%2F4s
OR
%281%2F4%29s
it makes a difference is why I ask