You can put this solution on YOUR website! 4*(2*a - 2) = -2*(1 -
5*a) (The asterisks mean multiplication.) Start by using the
distributive property to get rid of the parentheses. In other
words, both the 2*a and the -2 get multiplied by 4. On the right
side, both the 1 and the -5*a get multiplied by -2. 8*a - 8 = -2
+ 10*a Next, we want to get the two terms that contain the
variable 'a' together on one side of the equals sign, so that we
can combine them into one term. We can either subtract 8*a from
both sides or subtract 10*a from both sides. I'll choose to
subtract 8*a from both sides. -8 = -2 + 2*a Next, we combine the
constants. Add 2 to both sides. -6 = 2*a Finally, we solve for a
by dividing both sides by 2 to isolate the 'a'. a = -3 You can
check this result by substituting -3 for 'a' in the original
equation, do the arithmetic on each side of the equals sign, and
see if you come up with a true statement.