Question
- Winona and her mom buy ribbon to wrap presents. The cost of
inches of
plain ribbon is represented by
. The cost of
inches of striped ribbon is
represented by
. Winona says that
for any value of
because the coefficients of
are the same on both sides of the equation.
Is Winona correct? Explain.
plain ribbon is represented by
represented by
because the coefficients of
Is Winona correct? Explain.
Ask by Spencer Long. in the United States
Jan 24,2025
Upstudy AI Solution
Tutor-Verified Answer
Answer
Winona is not correct. The equation
simplifies to
, which is always false. Therefore, the equation does not hold true for any value of
.
Solution
To determine if Winona is correct, we need to analyze the equation she proposed:
Step 1: Simplify the Equation
We can start by simplifying the equation. If we subtract
from both sides, we get:
This simplifies to:
Step 2: Analyze the Result
The equation
is a contradiction. This means that the original equation
cannot be true for any value of
.
Conclusion
Winona’s assertion that
for any value of
is incorrect. The coefficients of
being the same does not imply that the two expressions are equal; the constant term on the right side (which is
) makes the two sides unequal. Therefore, the equation is false for all values of
.
Answered by UpStudy AI and reviewed by a Professional Tutor
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Bonus Knowledge
Winona’s assertion is incorrect because while the coefficients of
are the same on both sides, the constants differ. In her equation
, subtracting
from both sides gives
, which is obviously false. This indicates that these two expressions are not equal for any value of
. The cost of the striped ribbon is consistently higher due to the additional $9, making it more expensive than the plain ribbon regardless of the length.
To clarify, it’s important to recognize that in an equation like
, if
is not zero, the equation cannot be true. This common mistake often arises from overlooking constant values in algebraic expressions. Always ensure to evaluate both sides of an equation fully before concluding equality!