Question

In the following exercises, solve.

$\frac{a}{-8}=\frac{-42}{48}$

Short answer

The simplification of $\frac{a}{-8}=\frac{-42}{48}$is $a=6$

Step-by-step solution

Step 1. Given Information

An expression:
$\frac{a}{-8}=\frac{-42}{48}$

Step 2. Isolate the variable.

To isolate the variable, multiply both sides by the LCD $-8$

$\frac{a}{-8}\times -8=\frac{-42}{48}\times -8$

Step 3. Simplify the expression

By simplification,

$$\begin{gathered} a=\frac{-42\times -8}{48} \\ =6 \end{gathered}$$

Step 4. Check the answer

To check our answer, we substitute into the original proportion.

$$\begin{gathered} \frac{a}{-8}=\frac{-42}{48} \\ \frac{6}{-8}=\frac{-42}{48} \\ -\frac{a}{8}=-\frac{42}{48} \end{gathered}$$