Sign In
Write two separate equations.
x=7 and x=- 3
When the absolute values of two expressions are equal, either the expressions are equal or the opposites of the expressions are equal. Let's look at an example equation.
|ax+b|=|cx+d|
For this equation, there are two possible cases to consider.
lc x+8 ≥ 0:x+8 = (2x+1) & (I) x+8 < 0:x+8 = - (2x+1) & (II)
(II):Distribute -1
(I), (II):LHS-8=RHS-8
(I):LHS-2x=RHS-2x
(I):.LHS /- 1.=.RHS /- 1.
(II):LHS+2x=RHS+2x
(II):.LHS /3.=.RHS /3.
After solving an absolute value equation, it is necessary to check for extraneous solutions. To do this, we substitute the found solutions into the given equation and determine if a true statement is made.
x= 7
Multiply
Add terms
|15|=15
We found that x=7 is not extraneous.
x= - 3
Multiply
Add terms
|5|=5
|-5|=5
Since we obtained a true statement, we know that x=- 3 is not extraneous.