Which of the following should be done to both sides of the equation x + 11 = -17 to solve the value of x?

Question

Add 11

Subtract 17

Add 17

Subtract 11

Answer 1

To solve the equation \( x + 11 = -17 \) for \( x \), you should isolate \( x \) by eliminating the \( +11 \) on the left side.

To do this, you should subtract 11 from both sides of the equation.

So, the correct operation to perform on both sides of the equation is:

Subtract 11.

This will give you:

\[ x + 11 - 11 = -17 - 11 \]

Simplifying that will yield:

\[ x = -28 \]