Which of the following is the best first step in solving the equation below?

[tex]\[ 4 + 2 \log_3 x = 17 \][/tex]

A. [tex]\( 2 \log_3 x = 13 \)[/tex]

B. [tex]\( \log_3 4 - \log_3 17 = 2 \log_3 x \)[/tex]

C. [tex]\( 4 + \log_3 x^2 = 17 \)[/tex]

D. [tex]\( e^{4 + 2 \log_3 x} = 17 \)[/tex]



Answer :

Sure, let's solve the given equation step-by-step:

The equation given is:
[tex]\[ 4 + 2 \log_3(x) = 17 \][/tex]

To solve this equation, we need to isolate the logarithmic term [tex]\(\log_3(x)\)[/tex]. Here are the steps:

1. Subtract 4 from both sides of the equation to isolate the term with the logarithm:
[tex]\[ 4 + 2 \log_3(x) - 4 = 17 - 4 \][/tex]
This simplifies to:
[tex]\[ 2 \log_3(x) = 13 \][/tex]

2. From this step, we have successfully isolated the logarithmic term.

Given the choices, the best first step would be:
A. [tex]\(2 \log_3(x) = 13\)[/tex]

This is the correct step to begin solving the equation.