Question

solve the equation 4(c - 3) = 8. what are two ways to start solving this equation? choose both ways. use the distributive property. use the associative property. add 3 to both sides. subtract 4 from both sides. divide both sides by 4. divide both sides by 8.

Explanation:

To solve \(4(c - 3)=8\), one way is to use the distributive property (\(a(b - c)=ab - ac\)) to expand \(4(c - 3)\) into \(4c-12\). Another way is to divide both sides by 4 first to isolate the \((c - 3)\) term, as dividing both sides by the coefficient of the parenthetical expression simplifies the equation. The associative property is not relevant here (it deals with grouping in addition/multiplication), adding 3 first would not isolate the variable term, subtracting 4 or dividing by 8 are incorrect first steps.

Answer:

A. Use the distributive property, E. Divide both sides by 4.