To rearrange the formula \( y = mx + b \) and solve for \( x \), you can follow these steps using properties of equality. Here’s the first step:
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Subtract \( b \) from both sides:
\[ y - b = mx \]
This isolates the term involving \( x \) on one side. The next steps would include dividing by \( m \) to solve for \( x \). After completing all steps, you would get:
\[ x = \frac{y - b}{m} \]
But the very first step, as requested, is subtracting \( b \) from both sides.