You need to solve this equation for x: ax−7=26 Which would be the best first step you could make to solve the equation? (1 point) Responses Combine ax - 7 to get -7x Combine ax - 7 to get -7x subtract 7 from the left side of the equation subtract 7 from the left side of the equation divide ax by a and 26 by a divide ax by a and 26 by a add 7 to both sides of the equation

1 answer

The best first step to solve the equation \( ax - 7 = 26 \) is to add 7 to both sides of the equation. This will help isolate the term involving \( x \) on one side.

So the correct response is: add 7 to both sides of the equation.

This yields:

\[ ax - 7 + 7 = 26 + 7 \]

which simplifies to:

\[ ax = 33 \]