Answer: w = 17.2
Step-by-step explanation: If we're asked to solve for <em>w</em> in the equation you see here, what we're really being asked to do is get <em>w</em> by itself on one side of the equation.
So if we take a look at the left side of our equation, 5.8 is being added to <em>w</em>. So in order to get <em>w</em> by itself, we must subtract 5.8 from the left side of the equation. The first rule of solving equations tells us that if we subtract 5.8 from the left side of the equation, we must also subtract 5.8 from the right side of the equation.
So on the left side, our 5.8's cancel out and we're left with <em>w</em>. on the right side of the equation, 23 - 5.8 simplifies to 17<em>.</em>2.
So our answer is <u>w = 17</u><em><u>.</u></em><u>2.</u>
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The nice thing about solving equations is that you can always check your answer by plugging it back in to the original equation.
So here, we're going to plug a 17.2 back in for <em>w</em> in the original equation and we get (17.2) + 5.8 = 23.
Since 17.2 + 5.8 = 23, we know that our answer is correct.
