We are asked to fill in the blanks in the given sentences with the correct terms.

The first step in solving the equation $3 x + 4 = 20$ is to $\underline{subtract 4}$ from each side. This is an example of the $\underline{Subtraction}$ Property of $\underline{Equality} .$

In the given equation,

x

is multiplied by

3

and then

4

is added.

x is multiplied by 3 and then 4 is added 3 x + 4

We need to undo these operations in reverse order to solve this equation. First, we need to undo the addition. Let's think about an example! Imagine that we sort our coin collection into

3

boxes that contain

x

coins each. But then we have

4

extra.

We can remove

4

coins from our collection to get rid of the extra ones. Then we are left with only the

3 x

coins that are in the boxes. Therefore, the first step is to subtract $4$ from both sides of the equation.

3 x 3 x + 4 - 4 = 20 - 4 = 16

Let's add this to the first sentence.

The first step in solving the equation $3 x + 4 = 20$ is to $\underline{subtract 4}$ from each side. This is an example of the $\underline{Subtraction}$ Property of $\underline{Equality} .$

Subtracting the same number from each side of an equation results in an equivalent equation. This is called the Subtraction Property of Equality.

The first step in solving the equation $3 x + 4 = 20$ is to $\underline{subtract 4}$ from each side. This is an example of the $\underline{Subtraction}$ Property of $\underline{Equality} .$

Exercise