Question

What is the first step in solving for x in the equation 5.6(x+1.42)=7.8?
only the left-hand side was divided by 5.6, multiply both sides by 5.6, divide both sides by 5.6, subtract 1.42 from both sides

Answer 1

To solve the equation \( 5.6(x + 1.42) = 7.8 \), the first step is to **divide both sides by 5.6**. This will isolate the expression \( (x + 1.42) \) on the left-hand side.

So, the correct first step is:

**Divide both sides by 5.6.**

Doing this would give you:

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

After finding that result, you could then subtract 1.42 from both sides to further isolate \( x \).