Answer: x = -2
Explanation: To solve for x in the equation you see here, our goal is to get x by itself.
Our first step will be to isolate the term containing x which in this case is 7x. To isolate 7x, we have to get rid of the +5 by subtracting 5 from both sides of the equation. On the left, +5 and -5 cancel out and we have 7x. On the right, -9 - 5 simplifies to -14.
Now we have the equation 7x = -14.
Now we divide both sides by 7 to get x = -2.