I need to find the value of x.

5(x-4) = 3(x+8)

Trying to help my niece and haven't done this stuff for 20 years. :)

5(x-4) = 3(x+8)
5x - 20 = 3x + 24
5x - 3x = 20 + 24
2x = 44
x = 22

I hope this brings back the algebra you studied 20 years ago. :-)

By the way -- to check myself (I took algebra many, many years ago), I substituted 22 for x in the original problem.

We knew the answer was 22, but not sure how to get there. Thanks for your help! We really appreciate it. Will use the service again in the future. :)