Question

How do you solve $2x = 12$?

Answer 1

Hint: Here $2x = 12$ is a linear equation in one variable. It is an equation which is expressed in the form of $ax + b = 0$ where $a$ and $b$ are constants and $x$ is a variable. In case of the given question, $2x = 12$ can be written as $2x - 12 = 0$, where $a = 2$ and $b = - 12$.

Complete step by step solution:
The given linear equation is $2x = 12$.
To solve it, we will have to find x. As we have
$ \Rightarrow 2x = 12$
On dividing both the sides with 2, we get
$ \Rightarrow \dfrac{{2x}}{2} = \dfrac{{12}}{2}$
$ \Rightarrow x = 6$.

Hence, we get the solution of $2x = 12$ as $x = 6$.

Note: We also have an alternate solution for the given question. As we have
$ \Rightarrow 2x = 12$.
We will send $12$ to the left-hand side of the solution. On sending it to the other side, the positive sign contained by it changes to the negative sign and therefore the equation becomes,
$ \Rightarrow 2x - 12 = 0$
Now, we will take out $2$ as the common factor of both the expressions ($2x$ and $12$),
$ \Rightarrow 2(x - 6) = 0$
Now, we will divide both the sides with 2 so as to have,
$ \Rightarrow \dfrac{{2(x - 6)}}{2} = \dfrac{0}{2}$
$ \Rightarrow x - 6 = 0$
On sending 6 to the right-hand side of the equation, the negative sign contained by it changes to a positive sign and so we have,
$ \Rightarrow x = 6$
Hence, we have $x = 6$ as the answer.
While solving such questions, we must take care of the sign and algebraic operation attached with the terms when we send them from the right side of the equation to the left side of it and vice versa.