Simplify the expression: 2(3x + 4) - x.

To simplify the expression 2(3x + 4) - x, we start by distributing the 2 across the terms inside the parentheses.

First, we multiply each term in the parentheses by 2:

• 2 * 3x = 6x

• 2 * 4 = 8

This gives us the expression:

6x + 8.

Next, we will subtract x from this expression:

6x + 8 - x.

Now, we combine like terms by subtracting x from 6x. This results in:

(6x - x) + 8 = 5x + 8.

Thus, the simplified expression is 5x + 8, confirming that this is the correct answer. This process of distributing, combining like terms, and performing arithmetic operations is key when simplifying algebraic expressions.