Answer:
Irene has 3 cupcakes right now. If she wants 8 cupcakes in total, how many more does she need to buy?
x = 5
Step-by-step explanation:
The problem breaks down to 3+x=8 because:
- 8 is the total number of cupcakes
- The total cupcakes is 3 and a number she will buy
- "x" is the number of cupcakes she will buy
Solve the equation:
We want to keep 'x' on the left side, moving everything to the right side (this is called isolating 'x'). Do the reverse operation to the entire equation for numbers you want to move.
3 + x = 8 Move the '3' to the right. The opposite of positive 3 is - 3
3 - 3 + x = 8 - 3 Subtract 3 from both sides. 3-3=0, it cancels out
x = 8 - 3 'x' is isolated. Solve right side
x = 5 Final answer
Therefore Irene will buy 5 cupcakes to get 8 in total.
