Starting equation:
x - 20 = 5(7x - 4)
First, distribute 5 on the right side of the equation:
x - 20 = 35x - 20
Now, isolate the variable x. Start by subtracting 35x from both sides of the equation:
x - 35x - 20 = 35x - 35x - 20
This simplifies to:
-34x - 20 = 0
Now, add 20 to both sides of the equation to isolate -34x:
-34x - 20 + 20 = 0 + 20
-34x = 20
Finally, divide both sides by -34 to solve for x:
(-34x) / -34 = 20 / -34
x = -20 / 34
You can simplify the fraction by dividing both the numerator and denominator by their greatest common divisor, which is 2:
x = (-20 / 2) / (34 / 2)
x = -10 / 17
So, the correct solution to the equation is:
x = -10/17