Question

since 8 is divisible by 4, lets start by dividing both sides of the equation by 4. how can you isolate the variable c? 4(c - 3) = 8; (4(c - 3))/4 = 8/4; c - 3 = 2. divide both sides by 4. ? ? on both sides.

Explanation:

Step1: Analyze the current equation

We have \( c - 3 = 2 \). To isolate \( c \), we need to get rid of the \(-3\) on the left side.

Step2: Apply the inverse operation

The inverse operation of subtraction is addition. So we add 3 to both sides of the equation.
Mathematically, \( (c - 3) + 3 = 2 + 3 \).
Simplifying the left side: \( c - 3 + 3 = c \).
Simplifying the right side: \( 2 + 3 = 5 \). So \( c = 5 \). But for the step to isolate \( c \) from \( c - 3 = 2 \), we need to add 3 on both sides.

Answer:

To isolate the variable \( c \) from \( c - 3 = 2 \), we should \(\boldsymbol{\text{add}}\) \(\boldsymbol{3}\) on both sides.