Final answer:
To solve the equation − 1/2(x + 10) = −3, the operation that should be done first is the distributive property. Then, isolate the variable and solve for x. Thus, the solution to the equation is x = -4.
Step-by-step explanation:
When solving the equation − 1/2(x + 10) = −3, the operation that should be done first is the distributive property. This involves multiplying the -1/2 to both terms inside the parentheses, which gives us -1/2 * x and -1/2 * 10.
To simplify, we have -1/2x - 5 = -3. The next step would be to isolate the variable x. We can do this by adding 5 to both sides of the equation.
After adding 5, we have -1/2x = 2. Finally, we can multiply both sides of the equation by -2 to eliminate the fraction and solve for x.
Thus, the solution to the equation is x = -4.