Three less than twice a number is seventeen. What is the number?

Now we know that the number is represented by x. We also know that 17 is the answer so whatever happens 17 will always be on the opposite side of the equal sign.

Next, notice what its says about x, it’s not just any number but it’s TWICE a number so it means double which we would write as 2x. So far we have something looking like this: 2x blank=17

To fill in this “blank” we move on to our final part of the question three less than, less than means minus or subtraction so we have to take away 3 from 2x. Don’t mix it up and write it as 3-2x because that’s different and is not considered right in this question!

There you have it 2x-3=17 now read the question out loud again and see if it makes sense or “clicks in” with the answer! Thats part number 1.

Now we move on to solving for x.

2x-3=17 (we have to solve for x meaning isolate x, so we begin by “getting rid of the unwanted 3”)

2x=17+3 (and we do that by moving the 3 to opposite side of the equation and remember when we move anything to the opposite side of an equation we have to change the sign it has. Here it was -3 so it then became a positive 3 when we moved it to the other side).

2x=20

Now still trying to isolate the x we have to do the opposite operation of what is currently being done to the x (currently its being multiplied). That’s because thats the only way it can “cancel out” or we can acc get rid of the 2.

2x/2=20/2 (whatever you do to one side you have to do to the other side)

The 2s cancel out on the left side of the equation leaving us with x alone... and 20 divided by 2 is 10

X=10

Therefore the number is 10.

Hope this helps!