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Tangle Trap Level 1 Hard maths puzzle involving algebra, expanding brackets, linear equation and parentheses

Tangle Trap – Level 1 – Hard

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Topics: algebra, expanding brackets, linear equation, parentheses, polynomials, quadratic equations

Untangle the following equation, to find the value of x.

Enter the value of x into the Answer box.

-x² + x(x – 4) – 12x + (x – 1)(x + 6) + (x + 6)² – 29 = x² + 2x + (x – 1)(x + 1) + 4

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Additional instructions for Tangle Trap (Level 1, Hard)

Tangle Trap – Hard

Hard Tangle Trap expressions are designed to trigger sign errors and missed terms. The goal is still simplification, but you’ll need full algebra discipline.

Hard-mode plan:

  • Expand from the innermost brackets outward.
  • Write one operation per line (no leaps).
  • After every bracket expansion, rewrite the expression cleanly before continuing.

Tip: treat every minus sign in front of a bracket as multiplying by −1 and distribute it fully.

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