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When solving the equation, which is the best first step to begin to simplify the equation?

[tex]\[ -2(x + 3) = -10 \][/tex]


Sagot :

To simplify the equation \( -2(x+3) = -10 \), the best first step is to distribute the \(-2\) on the left side of the equation. This process is known as the distributive property.

Applying the distributive property involves multiplying the \(-2\) by each term inside the parentheses:

[tex]\[ -2(x + 3) = -2 \cdot x + (-2) \cdot 3 = -2x - 6 \][/tex]

Therefore, the equation simplifies to:

[tex]\[ -2x - 6 = -10 \][/tex]

This results in a new, simpler equation that can be solved using additional algebraic operations.