Step-by-step explanation: To solve for <em>x</em> in the equation you see here, our goal is to get <em>x</em> by itself.
Our first step will be to isolate the term containing <em>x </em>which in this case is 7x. To isolate 7x, we have to get rid of the +5 by subtracting 5 from both sides of the equation. On the left, +5 and -5 cancel out and we have 7x. On the right, -9 - 5 simplifies to -14.