Question

How do you solve `2x+18+4x=-2x+10`?

Answer 1

Add like terms, invert terms by switching their signs, add like terms again, and isolate for `x`. As a result, you get `x=-1`.

Explanation:

Ultimately, we are to isolate `x`, in order to determine its value.

First off, what we have to do is to add like terms, making the equation easier to work with.

`2x+18+4x=-2x+10`

`18+6x=-2x+10`

That's as far as we can go. However, we can bring some terms to the other side of the equal sign. So let's do that in such a way where all like terms are on one side of the equal sign. When doing this, you must invert the value: negatives become positive and vice versa.

`6x+2x=-18+10`

Now, we can add like terms once more.

`8x=-8`

Finally, we can isolate `x`. To do this, we divide `8x` by `8`, in order to "cancel" the coefficient.

`(8x)/8=-8/8`

`x=-1`

As a result, we get `x=-1`. We can double check our work by subbing in `x=-1` in the original equation.

`2x+18+4x=-2x+10`

`2(-1)+18+4(-1)=-2(-1)+10`

`-2+18-4=2+10`

`12=12`

As you can see, both sides of the equal sign are equal to each other. Therefore, we can conclude that `x=-1`.

Hope this helps :)