Example

Solve for $x: \quad \displaystyle -5(4x-4)+7x=3(x+4)$

Solution

Remove parentheses and combine like terms:

or

Next, let's get the $x$'s all on one side by adding $13x$ to both sides:

Now we subtract $12$ from both sides:

Finally, divide both sides by $16$ to get

or

The equation has the single solution $x=1/2$.