The equation below is written in words:
x plus ten equals two.
What's the value of x?
Answer (1)
Translate the word equation into a mathematical equation: x + 10 = 2 .
Subtract 10 from both sides of the equation: x = 2 − 10 .
Calculate the value of x: x = − 8 .
The value of x is − 8 .
Explanation
Understanding the Problem We are given the equation in words: 'x plus ten equals two'. Our goal is to find the value of x that satisfies this equation.
Translating to a Mathematical Equation First, we translate the word equation into a mathematical equation. 'x plus ten' can be written as x + 10 , and 'equals two' means = 2 . So, the equation is x + 10 = 2 .
Isolating x To solve for x, we need to isolate x on one side of the equation. We can do this by subtracting 10 from both sides of the equation:
x + 10 − 10 = 2 − 10
This simplifies to:
x = 2 − 10
Calculating the Value of x Now, we perform the subtraction: 2 − 10 = − 8 . Therefore, the value of x is -8.
Final Answer The value of x that satisfies the equation 'x plus ten equals two' is -8. So, the answer is − 8 .
Examples
Imagine you're balancing your checkbook. You started with some amount of money (x), deposited $10, and now have $2. To find out how much money you started with, you need to solve the equation x + 10 = 2. This problem demonstrates how algebraic equations can model real-life financial situations, helping you track income and expenses.
