3x+3=19-5x(+5x) 8x+3=19 (+5x)(-3) 8x=16 (-3)(/8) x=2 (/8)
Algebra is all about balance, so anything you do to one side of the equation, you have to do to the other side as well. So first thing to do it get all the x's on one side. Choose the side with the most x's, so in this case, 3x is more than -5x. To get rid of -5x we do the opposite function, so we add 5x to both sides.Now all the x's are together, we need to get them on their own, so we have to get rid of the number part. To get rid of a plus 3, we have to take away 3 from both sides. Now all that's left is the 8, remembering in algebra that the 8x means 8 times x. So to do the opposite we divide both sides by 8. That leaves us with our answer of x=2.