Your answer should be a polynomial in standard form (3b – 4)(b + 2)

Just use the FOIL method. It's ok if you don't know what that is. IN other words, multiply all the terms together, and you should end up with 3b^2+6b-4b-8. simplify and you'll be left with 3b^2+2b-8. standard form is just in descending order of highest exponent to lowest. **Put the term without a variable last.

The two equations are:

y = 5*x + 3

y = 5.5*x + 2

Step-by-step explanation:

By definition:

speed = distance/time

it can be rewritten as:

time = distance/speed

During the first half of the race Ben ran at a rate of 5 miles per hour for x hours and walked 3 miles. Let's call y, the number of miles in half the race; then he ran y-3 miles. The time he spend was:

x = (y-3)/5

Analogously, for the second half:

x = (y-2)/5.5

These two equations can be rewritten as

y = 5*x + 3

y = 5.5*x + 2

Which means that:

5*x + 3 = 5.5*x + 2

3-2 = 5.5*x -5*x

1 = 0.5*x

x = 2 hours

When you are solving for the variables in a situation represented by two equations you can isolate the same variable in both equations and equate the two terms, getting a new equation with only one variable. Another option is to isolate one variable in one equation and replace it in the other one.