Think of a number, any number
add 3.
double that
subtract 4.
cut that in half.
subtract your original number,

explain why the answer is always 1, regardless of
the number you began with.

Step-by-step explanation:

think of any number : x

add 3 : x+3

double that : 2(x+3)

subtract 4 : 2(x+3)-4

cut in half (divide by 2) : (2(x+3)-4)/2

subtract original number : (2(x+3)-4)/2-x

if you simplify, you will end up with 1

Step by Step simplification

2(x+3) = 2x+6   double that

2x+6-4=2x+2    subtract 4 : 2(x+3)-4

(2x+2)/2 = x+1     cut in half (divide by 2)

x+1-x = 1      subtract original number

because they could drop even lower..

n=9

step-by-step explanation:

7 times a number = 7n

decreased by 13 = 7n-13

same as is =

5 times the number = 5n

increased by 5 = 5n+5

7n-13 = 5n+5

2n=18

n=9