You said -14 + 6x + 7 - 2x = 1 + 5x
The first thing we absolutely must do is clean up
that ugly mess on the left side.
Add up all the Xs: 6x - 2x = 4x
Add up the just-plain-numbers: -14 + 7 = 7
The left side is actually 4x + 7
NOW the equation is much prettier:
4x + 7 = 1 + 5x
Subtract 4x
from each side: 7 = 1 + x
Subtract 1 from each side: 6 = x
I bet that wasn't as scary as you expected.
