Answering Math Questions

[nycmath]

I truly appreciate everyone for showing your work when answering math questions. However, I think something is missing that could bridge it all together. See my example below.

Solve for x.

2x + 4 = 20

1. The goal is to isolate x on one side of the equation.

2. Subtract 4 from both sides.

2x + 4 - 4 = 20 - 4

2x + 0 = 16

2x = 16

3. We can now divide both sides by the coefficient of x (the number next to x) or multiply both sides by the reciprocal of the coefficient of x. Most math teachers use division in this case. So, let's divide.

2x = 16

2x/2 = 16/2

x = 8

We're done!

Do you see that x has been isolated?
We have x = the answer.

This is what I would like to see from members or visitors when answering math questions. Can we make an effort to do that?