Question

How do you solve `1.4x + 6.1= - 7.9`?

Answer 1

`x = (-7.9-6.1)/(1.4) = ?`

Explanation:

Which terms look alike and which terms look unlike one another?

There are two different terms in this equation: Numbers with an `x` and numbers without an `x`.

If you look closely in the equation, you can see that 1.4 has an `x` whereas 6.1 and -7.9 don't have an `x` so both 6.1 and -7.9 are like terms.

I would place the terms with an `x` on the LEFT hand side of the equal sign and the terms without an `x` on the RIGHT hand side of the equal sign.

Firstly, you can see that 6.1 is now on the left of the equal sign. So now you want to send it to the right hand side of the equal sign. You also can see that 6.1 is being added by other numbers (because of the + sign).

If you take 6.1 to the right hand side, it will become SUBTRACTED BY (it becomes a -) some other terms, in other words, 6.1 will become -6.1.
`1.4x = -7.9 - 6.1`

So now you can solve the right hand side.
What is -7.9 - 6.1?

Yeah! It will give you -14
So, `1.4x = -14`

Your main goal is to find out what is `x`, in order to solve this equation.
Secondly, In order to find out what is `x`, you need to take everything to the right hand side of the equal sign and leave `x` alone on the left hand side.

You can see that `x` is being multiplied by 1.4 so if you take 1.4 to the right hand side, 1.4 will become divided by other numbers.

Currently, `1.4x = -14`

After taking 1.4 to the right hand side,
`x = (-14)/(1.4)`

So now you can identify what is x by solving everything on the right hand side,
`x = (-14)/(1.4) = -10`

So `x = -10`. That's your final answer.