Question

How do you simplify `(14x - 28y ) \div [ - 7( x - 2y ) ]`?

Answer 1

See a solution process below:

Explanation:

First, rewrite this expression as:

`(14x - 28y)/(-7(x - 2y))`

Next, factor `color(red)(14)` out of each term in the numerator:

`((color(red)(14) * x) - (color(red)(14) * 2y))/(-7(x - 2y)) => (14(x - 2y))/(-7(x - 2y))`

Then, cancel common terms in the numerator and denominator:

`(color(red)(cancel(color(black)(14)))2color(blue)(cancel(color(black)((x - 2y)))))/(-color(red)(cancel(color(black)(7)))color(blue)(cancel(color(black)((x - 2y))))) => -2`