How do you solve #x + 5 = 12#?

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Answer 1 · 2018-06-07T18:41:02

#x=7#

The key insight here is that we want to solve for #x#, and in doing so, we need to undo any operation being applied to it.

Right now, only #5# is being added to it, so to solve for it, we need to do the inverse operation, subtraction.

Remember, we subtract #5# from both sides to maintain the equality. We get

#color(purple)(x=7)#

We can even plug in #7# for #x# to make sure our answer is reasonable:

#color(purple)7+5=12#

#=>12=12#

This is true, so #x=7# is our solution.

Hope this helps!