Question

How do you simplify `2x - 5 - 4x +8`?

Answer 1

`2x-5-4x+8=color(red)(-2x+3)`

Explanation:

Given
`color(white)("XXX")2x-5-4x+8`
Re-arrange to group terms with common variables
`color(white)("XXX")=color(blue)(2x-4x)color(magenta)(-5+8)`

`color(white)("XXX")=color(blue)(-2x)color(magenta)(+3)`