Following the recommended steps for solving equations, what should be your first step in solving the given equation?

2 answers:

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To solve equations, you isolate the variable you are solving for on one side and everything else on the other side.

The first step to solving this equation is to combine like terms.
Combining like terms means to add up all terms that have the same variable(s) and exponent.

If no exponent is shown, then a 1 exponent is implied. The reason why we don't show a term raised to the first power is that it doesn't have any effect on the term.

I see three terms with the x variables. We can combine them. Why? Because they all have the same variable and exponent.

I'll rearrange the left-hand side to combine all the terms with the x variable.

Now we have -3 + 2x - 4x - 2x = -6
Combine all terms that have the x variable.

-3 + 2x - 4x - 2x = -6
-3 - 4x = -6

Now we have -3 - 4x = -6
What can we do now to isolate the x variable on the left-hand side?
For starters, we can add 3 to each side of the equation.
That way the -3 term will disappear.

-3 - 4x + 3 = -6 + 3
-4x = -3

Last step.
The x variable is being multiplied by the -4. If we reverse that operation
we can get the value of x.

-4x / -4 = 3 / -4
x = 3/-4 or x = -0.75