1. **State the problem:** Use algebra to solve an equation or expression as requested. 2. **General approach:** Algebra involves manipulating symbols and expressions using rules such as the distributive property, combining like terms, and isolating variables. 3. **Example problem:** Solve for $x$ in the equation $2x + 3 = 7$. 4. **Step 1:** Subtract 3 from both sides to isolate the term with $x$: $$2x + 3 - 3 = 7 - 3$$ $$2x = 4$$ 5. **Step 2:** Divide both sides by 2 to solve for $x$: $$\frac{\cancel{2}x}{\cancel{2}} = \frac{4}{2}$$ $$x = 2$$ 6. **Answer:** The solution is $x = 2$. This is a basic example of using algebra to solve for an unknown variable by performing inverse operations step-by-step.