How do you solve #-2.5x+18-1.6x=5.7#?

1 Answer
Jul 29, 2016

Combine like terms, then solve for #x#.

Explanation:

You'll know when two or more terms are like terms because they contain the same variable. In this case, #-2.5x# and #-1.6x# are like terms, so let's combine them to get this:

#-4.1x+18=5.7#

To get our answer, let's subtract 18 from each side...

#-4.1x=-12.3#

...and let's divide each side by -4.1:

#x=3#