ShmoopTube

00:02

Here's your shmoop du jour: Lets just get to it.

00:05

Solve for x: -2 is less than or equal to

00:08

3x plus 1, which is less than 2.

00:11

And here are the potential answers...

00:16

Okay. It just wants to make sure we remember that whenever we multiply by a negative number

00:20

in these types of problems...

00:21

...we have to flip around the "greater than/ less than" Pac Man thingies.

00:25

First, let's just break this puppy into pieces.

00:28

We start with negative 2 is less than or equal to 3x plus 1.

00:33

Subtract 1 from both sides to get negative 3 is less than or equal to 3x.

00:38

Divide both sides by 3 and we have -1 is less than or equal to x.

00:42

Great; that lets us cross off a few answers from the potentials sheet.

00:48

Now for the next part. We have 3x plus 1 is less than 2.

00:52

Subtract 1 from both sides and we have 3x is less than 1.

00:56

Divide both sides by 3 to get x is less than 1 third.

00:59

And our answer is E.

Full Transcript