Make x the subject of the formula 3(2x – y) = ax – 4

Making x the subject of the formula means putting it into the form x = ..... As we can see there is an x on either side of the equation and brackets on the left side. Firstly according to BIDMAS we should expand out the brackets, multiplying the outside number (3) by the inside of the brackets which goes to 6x-3y on the left hand side of the = sign. Now we want to have both Xs on the same side to factorise. Therefore, we get to 6x-3y-ax = -4, as you have to carry out the same operation on both sides of the equation, as we have subtracted the ax from the right hand side and therefore we must do the same to the left hand side. Now we do the same to get only the x terms on the same side so we get to 6x-ax=3y-4 as we have also swapped the 3y term. To get just the x we need to factorise the X out of the left hand side of the equation, coming to x(6-a) = 3y-4. It is x(6-a) because multiplying this out gives 6x-ax which is what we had before. To reach an x= equation we must now divide the entire equation by (6-a) which becomes x= (3y-4)/(6-a). When divided by (6-a) the x(6-a) term becomes just x as we can cancel the (6-a).Therefore we have an x= equation which is now solving the question.