The sum of a number times 9 and 30 is greater than -20

Answer 1

Hi Paige!

The first step to solving this problem is to set up an equation where we can solve for “a number” - We will call this variable “x”. The first term is 9x because you are looking for 9 times an unknown number and you are adding that to 30. When we sum both terms together, the answer will be greater than -20.

The equation ends up looking like 9x+30 > -20

To begin solving this, you’ll want to isolate the variable by subtracting 30 from each side of the equation. We are left with the new equation 9x > -50

The next step is to divide each side by 9 so that we have the value of “x”.

Our final answer is x > -50/9

Please note that with inequalities, if you are multiplying or dividing both sides by a negative number, you must flip the inequality sign ( “<“ would change to “>” and vice versa).