a 9-foot rope is cut into two pieces one piece is x feet express the length of the other piece in terms of x
Piece 1 + Piece 2 = 9
Piece 1 = x
x + Piece 2 = 9
Subtracting x from each side, we get:
x - x + Piece 2 = 9 - x
Cancel the x's on the left side, we get:
Piece 2 = 9 - x
Check our work:
x + 9 - x ? 9
9 = 9
Piece 1 + Piece 2 = 9
Piece 1 = x
x + Piece 2 = 9
Subtracting x from each side, we get:
x - x + Piece 2 = 9 - x
Cancel the x's on the left side, we get:
Piece 2 = 9 - x
Check our work:
x + 9 - x ? 9
9 = 9