An equation states that two expressions are equal. To isolate x, undo whatever operation is applied to it by doing the inverse on both sides — that keeps the equality true while peeling the equation down to x = something.

Steps

1. Identify the operation acting on x (usually multiplication by a coefficient).
2. Apply the inverse operation to both sides (divide by that coefficient for ax = b).
3. Check by substituting the solution back into the original equation.