Final answer:
The first step in solving the equation 2(x + 3) = 8 is to use the distributive property.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first step in solving the equation 2(x + 3) = 8 is to use the distributive property. This means multiplying 2 by both the terms inside the parentheses, x and 3.
So, 2(x + 3) becomes 2x + 6.
The equation now becomes 2x + 6 = 8.