Solve the equation: 5x - 9 = 16. What is x?

To solve the equation 5x - 9 = 16, the first step is to isolate the variable x. Start by adding 9 to both sides of the equation to eliminate the -9 from the left side. This gives you:

5x - 9 + 9 = 16 + 9, simplifying to:

5x = 25.

Next, to solve for x, divide both sides by 5:

5x/5 = 25/5, resulting in:

x = 5.

This shows that x, the variable we were solving for, equals 5. The correct answer is therefore that x = 5, as found in the options provided.