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Solve 3(x - 2) less than or equal to 5x + 4 and write the answer in interval notation.
AThe interval [-5, infinity)
BThe interval (-infinity, -5]
CThe interval [5, infinity)
DThe interval (-infinity, 5]
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. The interval [-5, infinity)
1. Distribute the 3 to get 3x minus 6 on the left.
2. Subtract 3x from both sides to get negative 6 less than or equal to 2x plus 4.
3. Subtract 4 from both sides to get negative 10 less than or equal to 2x.
4. Divide both sides by 2, a positive number, so the sign stays as it is.
5. That gives negative 5 less than or equal to x, which reads x is at least negative 5.
6. Since negative 5 itself works, the endpoint is included, giving [-5, infinity).
7. The interval (-infinity, -5] reverses the sign even though no negative divisor was used.
8. The interval [5, infinity) loses the minus sign at the final division step.
9. The interval (-infinity, 5] makes both of those errors at once.
_Source: OpenStax Intermediate Algebra (CC BY 4.0), Ch 2 "Solving Linear Equations", section 2.5 Solve Linear Inequalities_
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