what is the first step in solving for x in the equation 5.6 (x + 1.42) = 7.8

To solve the equation \( 5.6 (x + 1.42) = 7.8 \), the first step would be to isolate the term with \( x \) by first dealing with the coefficient \( 5.6 \).

The best choice here is to divide both sides by \( 5.6 \) to eliminate the coefficient from the left-hand side. This leads to:

\[ x + 1.42 = \frac{7.8}{5.6} \]

So, the correct answer is:

B. divide both sides by 5.6.