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CEMC Cayley

Algebra Difficulty 2.1 Junior Find the answer

If 2n+5=162n + 5 = 16, what is the value of the expression 2n−32n - 3?

A number or a short expression. Fractions can be typed as 3/2, and spacing doesn't matter.

Solution

Since 2n+5=162n + 5 = 16, then 2n−3=(2n+5)−8=16−8=82n - 3 = (2n + 5) - 8 = 16 - 8 = 8. Alternatively, we could solve the equation 2n+5=162n + 5 = 16 to obtain 2n=112n = 11 or n=112n = \frac{11}{2}. From this, we see that 2n−3=2(112)−3=11−3=82n - 3 = 2\left(\frac{11}{2}\right) - 3 = 11 - 3 = 8.

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