Let's solve the equation step by step:

The equation is:

$5x - 8 = x + 4$

1. First, subtract $x$ from both sides to get rid of $x$ on the right-hand side:

$5x - x - 8 = x - x + 4$

This simplifies to:

$4x - 8 = 4$

2. Next, add 8 to both sides to isolate the term with $x$:

$4x - 8 + 8 = 4 + 8$

This simplifies to:

$4x = 12$

3. Now, divide both sides by 4 to solve for $x$:

$x = \frac{12}{4}$

Thus:

$x = 3$

The solution is $x = 3$.

Would you like more details on any of the steps? Here are 5 related questions to expand on this:

1. How do you solve equations with variables on both sides?
2. What are the different ways to check if a solution is correct?
3. How do you handle equations with more complex fractions?
4. What happens when an equation has no solution?
5. How do you solve equations with more than one variable?

Tip: Always check your solution by substituting it back into the original equation!