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We want to find what x equals. To do this, we will try to get the equation in the form x = (some number).

Our starting equation is 3x + 20 = 68.

We are trying to get x by itself on one side of the equation. Therefore, it would be good to get rid of the 20 on the left hand side of the equation. So, we will subtract 20 from both sides of the equation.

Remember, whatever you do to one side of the equation, you must do to the other side. Otherwise, the sides will no longer be equal - and they must be equal because there is an equals sign between them.

3x + 20 - 20 = 68 - 20

We then get:

3x = 48

Now, we want to know what 1x equals. So, divide both sides of the equation by 3.

3x/3 = 48/3

x = 16

We have found that x equals 16. To check that our answer is correct, we can substitute it into the original equation.

3x + 20 = 68
3(16) + 20 = 68
48 + 20 = 68
68 = 68

This shows that our answer is correct.