Make x the subject of the following formula: x/2 + 3 = y - 2

To make x the subject of the formula, we simply want to have x on its own on one side of the equals sign. So we need to remove any numbers on the same side as x. A key rule to remember is that everything we do to the left hand side we must also do exactly the same to the right hand side. Firstly, we want to remove the 3 on the left hand side. To do this we subtract 3 from both sides of the equation to givex/2 + 3 - 3 = y - 2 -3 which is x/2 = y - 5. Now we want to remove the divide by 2 on the left hand side. To do this we need to do the opposite of division which is multiplication. So we multiply both sides of the equation by 2 to give: x = (y - 5)*2. We use the brackets as both y and -5 are multiplied by 2. Expanding the brackets then gives usx = 2y - 10

TD
Answered by Tutor304375 D. Maths tutor

5277 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

The angle of elevation to the top of a tree is 63 degrees. Given that the distance to the tree is 15 m and your height is 1.6 m, how tall is the tree?


How to solve simultaneous equations with two unknowns?


Prove that the square of an odd number is always 1 more than a multiple of 4


How do you factorise quadratic equations?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning