Solving the Equation: (x+1)(2x+8) = (x+7)(x+3)
This article will guide you through the steps of solving the equation (x+1)(2x+8) = (x+7)(x+3). We will use algebraic manipulation to isolate the variable x and find its value(s).
Step 1: Expand both sides of the equation
First, we need to expand both sides of the equation by multiplying the terms within the parentheses.
(x+1)(2x+8) = (x+7)(x+3)
- Left Side: (x+1)(2x+8) = 2x² + 8x + 2x + 8 = 2x² + 10x + 8
- Right Side: (x+7)(x+3) = x² + 3x + 7x + 21 = x² + 10x + 21
Now, our equation becomes:
2x² + 10x + 8 = x² + 10x + 21
Step 2: Combine like terms
Next, we need to combine like terms on both sides of the equation. In this case, we can subtract x² and 10x from both sides.
2x² + 10x + 8 - x² - 10x = x² + 10x + 21 - x² - 10x
This simplifies to:
x² + 8 = 21
Step 3: Isolate the x² term
To isolate the x² term, we can subtract 8 from both sides of the equation.
x² + 8 - 8 = 21 - 8
This leaves us with:
x² = 13
Step 4: Solve for x
Finally, to solve for x, we need to take the square root of both sides of the equation.
√x² = ±√13
Therefore, the solutions to the equation are:
x = √13 and x = -√13
Conclusion
By carefully following the steps of algebraic manipulation, we successfully solved the equation (x+1)(2x+8) = (x+7)(x+3) and found the two solutions: x = √13 and x = -√13.