Question

what operation do you perform first when solving \\(\frac{z}{a} = b + c\\) for \\(z\\)?

\\(\circ\\) a. multiply both sides by \\(a\\)

\\(\circ\\) b. subtract \\(c\\) from both sides

\\(\circ\\) c. divide both sides by \\(b\\)

\\(\circ\\) d. add \\(c\\) to both sides

Explanation:

To solve \(\frac{z}{a}=b + c\) for \(z\), we need to isolate \(z\). The term with \(z\) is \(\frac{z}{a}\), and to get rid of the denominator \(a\) and isolate \(z\), we perform the inverse operation of division, which is multiplication. Multiplying both sides by \(a\) will give \(z=a(b + c)\), so the first operation is to multiply both sides by \(a\).

Answer:

a. Multiply both sides by \(a\)