5x + 9 = x - 23
move x to the other side
sign changes from +x to -x
5x-x+9= x-x-23 ( combine like terms)
5x-x+9= -23
4x+9= -23
move -9 to the other side
4x+9-9= -23-9
4x= -23-9
4x= -32
divide both sides by 4 to get x by itself
4x/4= -32/4
answer:
x= -8