3a+2-5a=-14 combine like terms right?
Right -- that's the first step.
-2a+2=-14
-2a=-16
a=-16/-2
a=8
Yes, in order to solve the equation 3a + 2 - 5a = -14, you need to combine like terms first.
To combine like terms, you need to group the terms that have the same variable together. In this case, the terms with 'a' (3a and -5a) are the like terms.
3a - 5a can be rewritten as (3 - 5)a, which simplifies to -2a.
So, the equation becomes -2a + 2 = -14.