Question

How do you solve $2x + 1 = - 1$?

Answer 1

Hint: We will take the constant 1 from left to right in the given equation and make all the variables on the left side. Now just keep on simplifying to obtain the answer.

Complete step by step answer:
We are given that we are required to solve $2x + 1 = - 1$.
Let us take 1 from addition in the left hand side of the above equation to subtraction in the right hand side of the above equation, we will then obtain the following equation with us:-
$ \Rightarrow 2x = - 1 – 1$
Taking the negative sign common from both the terms in the right hand side of the above equation, we will then obtain the following equation with us:-
$ \Rightarrow 2x = - (1 + 1)$
Simplifying the calculations inside the bracket on the right hand side of the above equation, we will then obtain the following equation with us:-
$ \Rightarrow 2x = - 2$
Dividing both the sides of the above equation by 2, we will then obtain the following equation with us:-
$ \Rightarrow x = - \dfrac{2}{2}$
Simplifying the calculations on the right hand side, we will then obtain the following equation with us:-
$ \Rightarrow x = - 1$

Note: We need as many equations as many number of unknown variables we are given. Ike, in this question above, we have one unknown variable x and therefore, we could solve it using the given one equation only.
Note that we could divide the equation by 2 in the second last step of the solution because we are sure that 2 is never equal to 0. We can never multiply or divide an equation by any such variable which has any possibility of being 0.