Question

when solving the equation -\frac{1}{2}(x + 10)=-3, identify the operation that should be done first. (1 point)
divide by -2
multiply by -2
subtract 10
add 10

Explanation:

Step1: Isolate the term with x

To solve the equation $-\frac{1}{2}(x + 10)=-3$, we want to get rid of the coefficient $-\frac{1}{2}$ first. According to the multiplication - property of equality, we multiply both sides of the equation by the reciprocal of $-\frac{1}{2}$, which is - 2.

Step2: Analyze the operations

If we divide by $-2$, it is incorrect as we need to multiply to cancel out the fraction. Subtracting or adding 10 first won't help in isolating the variable x from the coefficient.

Answer:

B. multiply by - 2