Simplifying and isolating the variable x: A step-by-step guide

3 (5x – 2) + 2 = 26

To solve the equation 3(5x – 2) + 2 = 26, we need to simplify and isolate the variable x

To solve the equation 3(5x – 2) + 2 = 26, we need to simplify and isolate the variable x.

Step 1: Distribute 3 to the terms inside the parentheses:
15x – 6 + 2 = 26

Step 2: Simplify by combining like terms:
15x – 4 = 26

Step 3: To isolate the variable x, we need to get rid of the constant term (in this case, -4) on the left side of the equation.

To do this, we need to perform the inverse operation of subtraction, which is addition. We can add 4 to both sides of the equation:

15x – 4 + 4 = 26 + 4

This simplifies to:
15x = 30

Step 4: Finally, to solve for x, we need to get rid of the coefficient 15 attached to x. The inverse operation of multiplication is division. We divide both sides of the equation by 15:

15x/15 = 30/15

Simplifying, we get:
x = 2

So the solution to the equation 3(5x – 2) + 2 = 26 is x = 2.

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