Answer:
To solve the equation |2x + 5| = |8x + 2|, we need to consider two cases: when the expression inside the absolute value is positive and when it is negative.
Case 1: When the expression inside the absolute value is positive:
We can remove the absolute value symbols without changing the equation: 2x + 5 = 8x + 2
Case 2: When the expression inside the absolute value is negative:
We need to negate the expression inside the absolute value and remove the absolute value symbols: -(2x + 5) = 8x + 2
Now, let’s solve each case separately:
Case 1:
Subtracting 2x from both sides of the equation, we get: 5 = 6x + 2
Subtracting 2 from both sides of the equation, we get: 3 = 6x
Dividing both sides of the equation by 6, we get: x = \frac{1}{2}
Case 2:
Distributing the negative sign, we get: -2x - 5 = 8x + 2
Adding 2x to both sides of the equation, we get: -5 = 10x + 2
Subtracting 2 from both sides of the equation, we get: -7 = 10x
Dividing both sides of the equation by 10, we get: x = -\frac{7}{10}
Therefore, the solutions to the equation |2x + 5| = |8x + 2| are x = \frac{1}{2} and x = -\frac{7}{10}.