Final answer:
When solving a two-step equation, you need to decide which inverse operation to use first. Follow these steps to determine which operation to apply: identify the operations on the variable, undo the operations in reverse order, and perform the operations on both sides of the equation to keep it balanced.
Step-by-step explanation:
When solving a two-step equation, you need to decide which inverse operation to use first. The goal is to isolate the variable and solve for its value. To determine which inverse operation to use first, you can follow these steps:
- Identify the operations being performed on the variable. For example, if the equation is 2x + 3 = 10, subtraction and multiplication are being performed on the variable.
- Undo the operations in the reverse order they were applied. In the example equation, the variable is first being multiplied by 2 and then having 3 added to it. So, you would first subtract 3 from both sides and then divide by 2 to isolate the variable.
- Perform the operations on both sides of the equation to keep it balanced. This ensures that the equation remains true. For example, subtracting 3 from both sides of the equation would give you 2x = 7, and then dividing by 2 on both sides would give you the final answer of x = 3.5.