Isolate the absolute-value term:
2 |3x - 5| - 4 = 12
2 |3x - 5| = 8
|3x - 5| = 4
Recall the definition of absolute value:
[tex]|x| = \begin{cases}x & \text{if }x \ge0\\-x&\text{if }x<0\end{cases}[/tex]
We consider two cases:
• If 3x - 5 ≥ 0, then |3x - 5| = 3x - 5, and the equation resolves to
3x - 5 = 4
3x = 9
x = 3
• Otherwise, if 3x - 5 < 0, then |3x - 5| = -(3x - 5) = -3x + 5, hence
-3x + 5 = 4
-3x = -1
x = 1/3
