Identify the second step in solving this equation for y : −3(y + 6) = 21 . (1 point)Responses
A:divide both sides by 6
B:divide both sides by -3
C:add 6 to both sides
D:subtract 6 from both sides
The second step in solving the equation -3(y + 6) = 21 is to divide both sides by -3. Hence, the correct response is B: divide both sides by -3.
The second step in solving the equation −3(y + 6) = 21 is to divide both sides by -3.
So, the correct answer is B: divide both sides by -3.
To solve the equation -3(y + 6) = 21 for y, the first step is to simplify the expression on the left-hand side by distributing the -3 to both terms inside the parentheses. This gives us -3y - 18 = 21.
Now, to isolate the variable y, we need to perform the second step. The step is to add 18 to both sides of the equation. Adding 18 cancels out the -18 on the left-hand side of the equation, leaving us with -3y = 21 + 18.
The second step is to simplify the expression on the right-hand side by adding 21 and 18 together, which gives us -3y = 39.
Therefore, the correct second step in solving this equation for y is:
C: add 6 to both sides