Tucker was asked to solve the equation 5x + 3 = 6x + 1. He did not know if his first step should be to add 5 negative x-tiles, or 1 negative unit tile, to both sides. What advice would you give Tucker to help him decide on his first step? Explain. make the writing short

Answer 1

To help Tucker decide on his first step, I would advise him to focus on simplifying one side of the equation first. Since the equation is 5x + 3 = 6x + 1, he should aim to isolate the variable \( x \) by eliminating \( x \) from one side.

I recommend starting by subtracting \( 5x \) from both sides. This will make it easier to collect the \( x \) terms together. So, the first step should be to subtract \( 5x \):

\( 5x + 3 - 5x = 6x + 1 - 5x \)

This gives:

\( 3 = x + 1 \)

From there, Tucker can make further simplifications.