Question

solve the equation 4(p + 5) = 21.
how can you isolate the variable p?
4(p + 5) = 21
4p + 20 = 21

• 20 - 20 ← subtract 20 on both sides.

4p = 1 ? ? on both sides.

Explanation:

Step1: Analyze the equation after subtraction

We have the equation \(4p = 1\) after subtracting 20 from both sides. To isolate \(p\), we need to perform an operation that will get rid of the coefficient 4 attached to \(p\).

Step2: Determine the operation

The inverse operation of multiplication (since \(4p\) means \(4\times p\)) is division. So we should divide both sides of the equation \(4p=1\) by 4.

Step3: Perform the operation

Dividing both sides by 4: \(\frac{4p}{4}=\frac{1}{4}\), which simplifies to \(p = \frac{1}{4}\). So the operation is "Divide" by "4" on both sides.

Answer:

Divide, 4