## anonymous one year ago please explain how to get the answer) if the total of number of students in a class is represented as 4x - 5 and the number of boys is representes as a 2x + 5 then the number of girls is represented as

1. anonymous

total number of students-number of boys

2. anonymous

6x?

3. zepdrix

$$\large\rm (4x-5)-(2x+5)$$ 6x? Hmm that doesn't seem quite right :)

4. anonymous

but I cant sub. 4x from 5 cause dosent have a x on it nor does 5

5. zepdrix

That's true! :) You need to regroup so you can do the subtraction. Distribute the subtraction to both the 2x and the 5,$\large\rm (4x-5)-(2x+5)$$\large\rm 4x-5-2x-5$Subtract like this instead,$\large\rm 4x-2x-5-5$

6. zepdrix

4x - 2x is how many x's? :)

7. anonymous

2x

8. zepdrix

$\large\rm \color{orangered}{4x-2x}-5-5$$\large\rm \color{orangered}{2x}-5-5$Ok good so far.

9. anonymous

5-5 is 0 so the answer would just be 2x?

10. zepdrix

Woops! Notice the first 5 has a minus in front of it. Treat that not as subtraction, but as a (negative 5). So your really trying to figure out -5-5

11. anonymous

ooooo so it would be 2x-10

12. zepdrix

yayyy good job \c:/

13. anonymous

thank you so much