Question

Consider this equation:
4 (3x - 2) = -24

Part 1: What is the first step in solving this equation? Remember, there is more that one way to solve this equation.

Part 2: How would you isolate the variable and solve for x after you have completed Part 1?

You do not need to solve the problem. Simply, describe the process.

**Please label Part 1 and Part 2 in your answer.**

Answer 1

Part 1: The first step in solving this equation is to distribute the 4 to the terms inside the parentheses. This can be done by multiplying 4 with each term inside the parentheses separately.

Part 2: After distributing, the equation becomes 12x - 8 = -24. To isolate the variable x, we need to move the constant term (-8) to the other side of the equation. This can be done by adding 8 to both sides of the equation. This results in 12x = -16. Finally, to solve for x, we divide both sides of the equation by 12, which gives us the value of x.