Consider the equation.

2x−5=−21


Determine the best TWO steps to solve the equation.

Identify the solution.

1 answer

To solve the equation \( 2x - 5 = -21 \), we can follow these steps:

Step 1: Add 5 to both sides of the equation

\[ 2x - 5 + 5 = -21 + 5 \implies 2x = -16 \]

Step 2: Divide both sides by 2

\[ \frac{2x}{2} = \frac{-16}{2} \implies x = -8 \]

Solution

The solution to the equation \( 2x - 5 = -21 \) is \( x = -8 \).