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First of all, be sure you know how to add, subtract, multiply and divide integers. If you don't, good luck solving these problems.

The basic strategy of all this is to get x by itself. We do this by getting the constants on one side of the equation, then dividing both sides by the coefficient of x.

Example: Solve:

-6x - 7 = -31

Step 1: We add 7 to both sides of the equation

-6x - 7 = -31

-6x - 7 + 7 = -31 + 7

-6x = -24

Step 2: We divide both sides of the equation by -6

-6x = -24

-6x/-6 = -24/-6

x = 4

Our answer is 4.

DON'T FORGET! If you have something like -x = 5, this means the same thing as -1x = 5, and you have to DIVIDE BOTH SIDES BY -1 to get the answer x = -5