Answer:
In summary, to solve multi-step equations, the following procedures are to be followed:
Eliminate any grouping symbols such as parentheses, braces, and brackets by employing the distributive property of multiplication over addition.
Simplify both sides of the equation by combining like terms.
Isolate a variable on any side of the equation depending on your preference.
A variable is isolated, performing the two opposite operations, such as addition and subtraction. Addition and subtraction are the opposite operations of multiplication and division.
example:
12x + 3 = 4x + 15
Solution
This is a typical multi-step equation where variables are on both sides. This equation has no grouping symbol and like terms to combine on opposite sides. Now, to solve this equation, first decide where to keep the variable. Since 12x on the left side is greater than 4x on the right side, therefore we keep our variable to the LHS of the equation.
This implies that, we subtract by 4x from both sides of the equation
12x – 4x + 3 = 4x – 4x + 15
6x + 3 = 15
Also subtract both sides by 3.
6x + 3 – 3 = 15 – 3
6x = 12
The last step now is to isolate x by dividing both sides by 6.
6x/6 = 12/6
x = 2