5x+14-2z=9-(4x+2) here you're combining like terms. First you try to get all variables on one side of the equals sign. 5x+14-2z=9-(4x+2)+4x+2 -4x+29x+14-2z=9 -14 -149x-2z=(-5)I apologize but that's all I'm confident on sharing. If you still need help check out the Like terms sections of the site.