Question

Consider this equation:

Answer 1

Answer:

• Plan: separate the variable term from the constant term; divide by the coefficient of the variable.
• Steps: add 4 to both sides; collect terms; divide both sides by 3.

Step-by-step explanation:

The first step is to look a the equation to see where the variable is in relation to the equal sign, and whether there are any constants on that same side of the equal sign.

Here, the variable terms are on the left, and there is a constant there, as well. The plan for solving the equation is to eliminate the constant that is on the same side of the equation as the variable, then divide by the coefficient of the variable. To find that coefficient, we need to collect terms. In summary, the plan is to ...

• add 4 to both sides of the equation
• collect terms
• divide by the coefficient of the variable (3)

Executing that plan, the steps are ...

  -2x -4 +5x +4 = 8 +4 . . . . add 4

  3x = 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . collect terms

  x = 4 . . . . . . . . . divide by 3