Question

How do you solve `-2.5x+18-1.6x=5.7`?

Answer 1

Combine like terms, then solve for `x`.

Explanation:

You'll know when two or more terms are like terms because they contain the same variable. In this case, `-2.5x` and `-1.6x` are like terms, so let's combine them to get this:

`-4.1x+18=5.7`

To get our answer, let's subtract 18 from each side...

`-4.1x=-12.3`

...and let's divide each side by -4.1:

`x=3`