First, simplify to get 26 = z + 22. Then subtract 22 from both sides to get 4 = z.
Example 6
The following equation is solved incorrectly. Identify the mistake and then correctly solve the equation:
x + 5 = 14
Incorrect solution:
Answer
The mistake: 5 was only subtracted from the left-hand side, not from the right-hand side. The correct answer: subtract 5 from both sides to get x = 14 – 5 = 9.
Example 7
The following equation is solved incorrectly. Identify the mistake and then correctly solve the equation:
x + 4 = 16
Incorrect solution:
Answer
The mistake: 4 was subtracted from the left-hand side, while 4 was added to the right-hand side. The correct answer: subtract 4 from each side to get x = 12.
Example 8
The following equation is solved incorrectly. Identify the mistake and then correctly solve the equation:
y – 1 = -3
Incorrect solution:
Answer
The mistake: we added 1 to the left-hand side, but we subtracted 1 from the right-hand side. The correct answer: add 1 to each side to get y = -2. Never forget that we've gotta treat both sides equally. They're like kids: you just can't show favoritism...even if one of them is cuter.
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to each side to get 
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