$$ \begin{aligned} x+3 &= -\frac{2}{5}&& \text{multiply ALL terms by } \color{blue}{ 5 }. \\[1 em]5x+5\cdot3 &= -5\cdot\frac{2}{5}&& \text{cancel out the denominators} \\[1 em]5x+15 &= -2&& \text{ move 15 to the right } \\[1 em]5x &= -2-15&& \\[1 em]5x &= -17&& \text{ divide both sides by $ 5 $ } \\[1 em]x &= -\frac{17}{5}&& \\[1 em] \end{aligned} $$

This page was created using