Solving Multi-Step Equations

Step one. Distribute if possible. So if we have any distribution we have to do that first. Don't forget your negatives. Step two. Simplify each side if possible. Meaning we combine like terms on each side of the equation. Step three. Isolate the term with the variable. Now this should look very familiar because we did this for two-step equations. Isolate the term with the variable.
Again with two-step equations our goal is to isolate the variable. Which I verified all the way here. And then I did say five steps because you should always check your answer. Make sure it's reasonable. So just take a look at your answer and be like does that really make sense. Does it work?
Okay so let's do a couple of examples. I'm gonna keep our steps there so we can follow it. Example one, three X plus two, time in parentheses five X plus sixteen equals one hundred sixty-two. 

So step one says distribute if possible. Well, we can definitely distribute here. Since we have a positive two because it is plus two, I don't have to worry about keep change or worry about negatives right now. So I'm gonna distribute. I end up with three X which just comes down, plus two times five X is ten X plus two times sixteen is thirty-two that still equals one hundred sixty-two. I'm just gonna draw my line here so I can make sure I stay balanced. Okay. So we've done step one. There is no more distributive property to follow. We got rid of the distributive property. Step two is simplify each side if possible by combining like terms. 

Well on the left-hand side here I have some like terms. I have three X plus ten X. I can combine those. Three X plus ten more Xs is thirteen Xs plus thirty-two can't be combined with anything on this side. Make sure when you. re simplifying, you stay on one side of the equation at a time. So I'm just gonna bring down my thirty-two. Equals one hundred sixty-two is all alone, I can't combine that with anything so I'm just gonna bring it down. Alright, Now we simplify each side. I only have to simplify the left-hand side here but we've definitely done both sides. 

Next step, isolate the term with the variable. Thirteen X is my term with the variable I wanna get that all by itself. So I have to get rid of this plus thirty-two. I'm gonna subtract thirty-two on both sides to isolate the term with the variable. Now remember, if you do something on one side you have to do it to the other. We can combine all we want but once we start an operation - adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing - on one side, you got to do it to the other. So my thirty-two becomes zero. I'm left with thirteen X equals one hundred and sixty-two take away thirty-two, it's one hundred thirty.
Finally, isolate the variable. 

Divide both sides by thirteen to get that X all by itself because remember thirteen over thirteen is one whole so we get X equals one hundred thirty divided by thirteen is ten. X equals ten. And then we say to ourselves does that make sense, is that reasonable? Well, let's go back to our original equation. What if I use substitution and put ten in for each of these? Well, three times ten would be thirty. Then on the inside of the parentheses, five times ten would be fifty plus sixteen more is sixty-six, times two is in the one hundred twenties one hundred thirties range. Thirty plus a hundred twenty or a hundred thirty is just about a hundred and sixty-two. So our answer is definitely reasonable. So that makes sense.