Sorry, struggling through pre-Algebra .. :-( .. How do i figure out 5x = -20 ?

divide both sides by 5

5x/5 = x
-20/5 = -4
so
x = -4

divide both sides by 5 to get x by itself

divide both sides by 5

5x/5= -20/5
x = -4

No worries, I'm here to help you with pre-Algebra! To solve the equation 5x = -20, we need to isolate the variable x. Here's a step-by-step explanation of how to solve it:

Step 1: To start, we want to get rid of the coefficient (the number multiplied with x), which is 5 in this case. Since 5 is being multiplied with x, we can solve for x by dividing both sides of the equation by 5:
5x / 5 = -20 / 5
x = -4

Step 2: Divide both sides of the equation: 5x divided by 5 gives us x, and -20 divided by 5 gives us -4.

So, the value of x that satisfies the equation 5x = -20 is x = -4.