High School

Solve the equation for x:

[tex]
\[
\begin{array}{l}
15 - 8x = -2x + 7 \\
15 - 6x = 7
\end{array}
\]
[/tex]

What is the next step to isolate [tex] x [/tex]?

Answer :

We start with the equation
[tex]$$
15 - 8x = -2x + 7.
$$[/tex]

To simplify the equation, we want to eliminate the [tex]$x$[/tex] term on the right-hand side. We can do this by adding [tex]$2x$[/tex] to both sides of the equation. Here are the steps:

1. Add [tex]$2x$[/tex] to the left-hand side:
[tex]$$
15 - 8x + 2x = 15 - 6x.
$$[/tex]

2. Add [tex]$2x$[/tex] to the right-hand side:
[tex]$$
-2x + 7 + 2x = 7.
$$[/tex]

After these steps, the equation becomes:
[tex]$$
15 - 6x = 7.
$$[/tex]

Thus, the move is to add [tex]$2x$[/tex] to both sides.