Answer:
the 2 solutions are [tex]x=2[/tex] and [tex]x=-10[/tex]
Step-by-step explanation:
absolute value bars are tricky, they make whatever is inside positive regardless of if it is positive or negative
basically, |x|=|-x|
or |-3|=|3|=3
so one way to solve this is to solve the 2 cases: one where it is positive and one where it is negative
solve these 2 cases:
case1: positive: 3x+12=+18
case2: negative: 3x+12=-18
case1:
[tex]3x+12=18[/tex]
minus 12 both sides
[tex]3x=6[/tex]
divide both sides by 3
[tex]x=2[/tex] is one solution
case2:
[tex]3x+12=-18[/tex]
minus 12 both sides
[tex]3x=-30[/tex]
divide both sides by 3
[tex]x=-10[/tex] is the other solution
the 2 solutions are [tex]x=2[/tex] and [tex]x=-10[/tex]
