Question 96476
Remember, with all word problems, common words like "is" and "less" stand for mathematic symbols such as = and -



So here is a list of keywords that translate to mathematic symbols (there are more common keywords, but this list should work for this problem):

<table border=1 cellpadding=5><th>Keyword(s)</th><th>What it really means</th><th>Mathematic Symbol or variable</th>
<tr><td>times, of</td><td>Multiplication</td><td>*</td></tr>
<tr><td>plus, more</td><td>Addition</td><td>+</td></tr>
<tr><td>minus, less</td><td>Subtraction</td><td>-</td></tr>
<tr><td>is, is equal</td><td>Equality</td><td>=</td></tr>
<tr><td>a number, some number</td><td>Unknown variable</td><td>x (note: this is a <font size=4>letter</font> and not the multiplication symbol)</td></tr>

</table>


note: when you say "5 less than 10", you're really saying "take 5 away from 10" or "10 subtract 5" which translates to 10-5. So it is important to reverse the order of the numbers. If you don't, then you'll end up with a completely different number. 




So let's look at the sentence:


"Ten plus 6 times a number is equal to 5 less than the number"




Now pick out the keywords:


Ten <u>plus</u> 6 <u>times</u> <u>a number</u> <u>is equal to</u> 5 <u>less than</u> <u>the number</u>



Now replace the underlined keywords with their corresponding symbol or variable (use the table if you are in doubt)


10 + 6 * x = x-5



So our translated equation is


{{{10+6x=x-5}}}




Now let's solve for x





{{{10+6x=x-5}}} Start with the given equation



{{{6x=x-5-10}}}Subtract 10 from both sides



{{{6x-x=-5-10}}} Subtract x from both sides



{{{5x=-5-10}}} Combine like terms on the left side



{{{5x=-15}}} Combine like terms on the right side



{{{x=(-15)/(5)}}} Divide both sides by 5 to isolate x




{{{x=-3}}} Divide


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Answer:

So our answer is {{{x=-3}}} 





So the number is -3