
Natalee L. answered 09/11/12
Master's in Biological Science
x needs to be solved for, so we must isolate x.
5x + 2 = 3x + 12 (subtract 2 from the left side)
5x = 3x + 12 - 2 (subtract 3x from right side)
5x - 3x = 12 - 2 (x is now isolated, add both sides)
2x = 10 (divide both sides by 2)
x = 5
You can check your answer by plugging 5 back into the orignial equation
5(5) +2 = 3(5) + 12
25 +2 = 15 + 12
27 = 27
Hope this helps & good luck!