to find x, you first want to start by adding the 5 to both sides. you should then get 2x=22. then, to get x by itself, divide 2x and 22 by 2. the answer should then be x=11. to check, substitute the x to the 11, and it should look like 2(11)-5=17. 2 times 11 is 22, and if you subtract 5 from 22 you DO get 17, so therefore x is 11.
