Question
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  1. 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.

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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Simplify this solution

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!

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