How do you solve 5(a-1)-15=3(a+2)+4?

1 Answer
Mar 3, 2018

a=15

Explanation:

First, use the distributive property on the parentheses and combine like terms
5(a-1)-15=3(a+2)+4
5a-5-15=3a+6+4
5a-20=3a+10

Then, subtract 3a from both sides
2a-20=10

Finally, solve for a
2a-20=10
a=15

Now that we know what a is, we can substitute for a in the original equation
5(15-1)-15=3(15+2)+4
75-5-15=45+6+4
55=55 (correct)

We can now conclude that a is equal to 15