document.write( "Question 270585: 23-2[4+3(x-1)]+5[x-2(x+3)]=7 {x-2[5-(2x+3)] }\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "this all looks like jumble to me, my I please get this problem broken down step by step; PLEASE \n" ); document.write( "
Algebra.Com's Answer #198195 by josmiceli(19441)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!

\n" ); document.write( "I hope I copied it OK. I slightly changed it to
\n" ); document.write( "make it more readable to me.
\n" ); document.write( "You're right. It looks like a jumble to me, too, and
\n" ); document.write( "I'm pretty good with these things. What you have to do
\n" ); document.write( "to make it less of a jumble is to not look at the whole thing
\n" ); document.write( "at once, (like not looking down if you're climbing up a cliff)
\n" ); document.write( "-----------------------------------------------------
\n" ); document.write( "(a) start by identifying the innermost brackets only.
\n" ); document.write( "then pick just one of them and try to simplify it.
\n" ); document.write( "I'll start with the (2x - 3) at the end, since it is nested
\n" ); document.write( "inside 3 sets of brackets like this: ((( ))).
\n" ); document.write( "It's got a (-) in front of it, so it becomes
\n" ); document.write( "\"23-2%2A%284%2B3%2A%28x-1%29%29%2B5%2A%28x-2%2A%28x%2B3%29%29+=+7%2A%28x-2%2A%285-2x-3%29%29\"
\n" ); document.write( "I got rid of the innermost ().
\n" ); document.write( "(b) Now I'll move on to the next set of innermost ()s
\n" ); document.write( "which is the (x+3) in the middle inside 2 brackets:(())
\n" ); document.write( "It gets multiplied by the -2 in front, so
\n" ); document.write( "\"23-2%2A%284%2B3%2A%28x-1%29%29%2B5%2A%28x-2x%2B6%29+=+7%2A%28x-2%2A%285-2x-3%29%29\"
\n" ); document.write( "And I got rid of another set of ()s
\n" ); document.write( "Another innermost () is (x-3) moving left. It gets multiplied by
\n" ); document.write( "the 3 in front:
\n" ); document.write( "\"23-2%2A%284%2B3x-3%29%2B5%2A%28x-2x%2B6%29+=+7%2A%28x-2%2A%285-2x-3%29%29\"
\n" ); document.write( "That's 3 sets of ()s I eliminated
\n" ); document.write( "(c) Now look for more innermost ()s.
\n" ); document.write( "The (5 - 2x - 3) is one. It gets multiplied by the -2 in front, so
\n" ); document.write( "\"23-2%2A%284%2B3x-3%29%2B5%2A%28x-2x%2B6%29+=+7%2A%28x+-+10+%2B+4x+%2B+6%29\"
\n" ); document.write( "(d) Now there are no more innermost ()s so just choose among
\n" ); document.write( "the brackets that are left. I'll just do them all in one step:
\n" ); document.write( "\"23+-+8+-+6x+%2B+6+%2B+5x+-+10x+%2B+30+=+7x+-+70+%2B+28x+%2B+42\"
\n" ); document.write( "(e) Now just collect like terms:
\n" ); document.write( "\"23+-+8+%2B+6+%2B+30+-+6x+%2B+5x+-+10x+=+-+70+%2B+42+%2B+7x+%2B+28x\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"51+-+11x+=+-28+%2B+35x\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"35x+%2B+11x+=+51+%2B+28\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"46x+=+79\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"x+=+79%2F46\"
\n" ); document.write( "This could be wrong, since it's so easy to make a mistake
\n" ); document.write( "along the way, but the idea is what's important. Start from
\n" ); document.write( "the inside ()s and work your way out.\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "
\n" );