What is the first step in solving the equation: 3(x - 2) = 12?

To approach the equation 3(x - 2) = 12, the first step is to clear the parentheses to simplify the expression. This involves applying the distributive property, which states that when you multiply a single term by a sum or difference inside parentheses, you must multiply that term by each component of the expression within the parentheses.

So, in this case, distributing the 3 will give you:

3 * x - 3 * 2 = 12,

which simplifies to 3x - 6 = 12.

This step simplifies the equation and makes it easier to isolate the variable x in subsequent steps. After distributing, you can proceed to add or subtract terms to isolate x, but the correct first action is indeed to distribute.