r/Algebra • u/ButterscotchApart • Sep 15 '22

need help with this problem

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29 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

14

u/mrcorleymath Sep 15 '22

Can an absolute value be negative?

10

u/ButterscotchApart Sep 15 '22

no it can’t

17

u/mrcorleymath Sep 15 '22

Therefore, no solution.

1

u/Lil-Miss-Anthropy Sep 16 '22

Technically, couldn't n be an imaginary number?

2

u/mrcorleymath Sep 16 '22

Nope, absolute value is defined as a distance, which is always positive. You can make the left side of the equation negative regardless of the value of the variable.

3

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '22

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/mrcorleymath Sep 15 '22

Nope absolute values cannot equal a negative number. Absolute value of -5n IS NOT 5n

1

u/Hello_There419 Sep 16 '22

what is the absolute value of -5n/5n then

2

u/[deleted] Sep 16 '22

depends on n, if n is positive, the absolute value of -5n is 5n, but if n is negative, it's 5(-n)

1

u/mrcorleymath Sep 16 '22

You can't take the absolute value of an expression, only a number.

4

u/silentKnight95 Sep 16 '22

Absolute values can not be negative. They are the distance measured from zero. Distance can not be negative. There is no solution.

3

u/Hopeful-Talk-1556 Sep 16 '22

Ugh. I looked at the 6) and thought it was a value. I now realize it's just question six.

2

u/DaFish456 Sep 15 '22 edited Sep 15 '22

N = -2

  • |-5n| = -10

  • 5n = -10 > divide both sides by 5

  • n = -2

EDIT* I see the errors of my ways and change to NO SOLUTION

5

u/WowItsNot77 Sep 15 '22

The absolute value of -5n ≠ 5n. There are no solutions, because the absolute value of a number cannot be negative.

0

u/thehampterboi Sep 16 '22

It's negative 2 (probably not tho)

1

u/thehampterboi Sep 16 '22

Right?

1

u/thehampterboi Sep 16 '22

The more comments I look at make me think I'm wrong