1. first, we have to get rid of the fractions. because fractions are essentially division, we use the opposite function to “undo” it. in this case, multiply each side by 2 to get:
3x + 1 = 10
then subtract 1
3x = 9
divide by 3
x = 3
2. distribute the left side to get
x^2 + 2x -3 = x^2 - 2x + 13
subtract x^2 from each side
2x -3 = -2x + 13
add 2x to each side
4x -3 = 13
add 3
4x = 16
divide by 4
x = 4
3. to get rid of the square root sign, square each side to get:
2x + 5 = 10^2
2x + 5 = 100
subtract 5
2x = 95
divide by 2
x = 95/2