What is the first step in solving for x in the equation 5.6(x+1.42)=7.8?

Question

Multiply both sides by 5.6.
Only the left-hand side was divided by 5.6.
Subtract 1.42 from both sides.
Divide both sides by 5.6.

Answer 1

To solve for \( x \) in the equation \( 5.6(x + 1.42) = 7.8 \), the first step is to divide both sides by 5.6 in order to isolate the expression \( (x + 1.42) \).

So, the correct first step is:

Divide both sides by 5.6.

This simplifies the equation to:

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

After that, you can continue solving for \( x \) by subtracting 1.42 from both sides.