First, we must isolate x on one side of the equation. To start, we take away 17.56 on the right side of the equation. What ever we do to one side we must to the other side. Subtract 17.56 from BOTH sides of the equation. now we are left with 12.60=5x. We still have to get x completely by itself. To do this, we divide 5 on both sides of the equation. The reason why we divide is because we have 5 times x, or just 5x. The opposite of multiplying is dividing; if we divide, the x will isolate and the 5 will cancel out. We are now left with 2.52=x. To prove that the answer is x=2.52, let's substitute x for 2.52 in the original equation: 30.16=17.56+5(2.52). The final answer we get is 30.16=30.16. This proves that x=2.52 is correct for this equation.
