Question

The equation representing the statement 15 less than three times a number gives 3 is 153multiplied =13

Answer 1

Answer:

If 25 is added to three times a number, the result is 70. What is the number?

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That depends on how one interprets the question.

To get 15, one groups the statements this way:

25 added to (3 times x) = 70

This follows the usual mathematical , which evaluates multiplication before addition. Using the standard rule, the answer of 15 is correct.

But since there is no comma or other indicator to separate the criteria, the author may have indented all operations to be executed immediately, instead of after the entire statement was made:

(25 added to 3) times x = 70

Since the author actually did use a comma elsewhere in the original statement, this is very probably NOT what they meant!

But if it were, it wouldn’t prevent us from solving the problem, and finding an answer other than x = 15:

( 3 + 25 ) * x = 70

28 * x = 70

x = 70/28 = 10/4 = 2.5

( 3 + 25 ) * 2.5 = 70

Again, this is probably not the right answer, since it violates the order of operation. But if the author didn’t know how that rule is applied, their use of order may have indicated a different intent.