Question

Of the following options, what could be a possible first step in solving the equation 3x − 1 = 2x + 4? Combining like terms, 3x + 2x = 5x Subtracting 1 from both sides of the equation Subtracting 2x from both sides of the equation Adding 4 to both sides of the equation

Answer 1

Subtracting 2x from both sides of the equation would be a reasonable first step in solving this equation as it properly combines like terms to the left side of the equation. It quickly shows that the next step would be adding 1 to both sides of the equation, which would have us arrive at the answer of x = 5.