Question

solve the equation 5(p - 2) = 20. how can you start solving the equation? subtract 5 from both sides. add 2 to both sides. subtract 20 from both sides. use the distributive property.

Explanation:

Step1: Analyze the equation structure

The equation is \(5(p - 2)=20\). The left - hand side has a coefficient \(5\) multiplied by the binomial \((p - 2)\). The distributive property states that \(a(b + c)=ab+ac\) (or in this case \(a(b - c)=ab - ac\)). To simplify the left - hand side and start solving for \(p\), we can use the distributive property to expand \(5(p - 2)\) into \(5p-10\). Let's check the other options:

• If we subtract 5 from both sides, we get \(5(p - 2)-5=20 - 5\), which complicates the equation rather than simplifying it.
• If we add 2 to both sides, we get \(5(p - 2)+2=20 + 2\), which also does not help in isolating the variable \(p\) in a simple way.
• If we subtract 20 from both sides, we get \(5(p - 2)-20=0\), which is not a helpful first step.

Step2: Conclusion

The best way to start solving the equation \(5(p - 2)=20\) is to use the distributive property.

Answer:

Use the distributive property.