Answer
$a=-8$
Work Step by Step
We start with the given equation: $38=2a+54$
We subtract 54 from each side, giving us: $38-54=2a+54-54$
We combine like terms on each side: $-16=2a$
Finally, we divide by $2$ on each side of the equation: $a=\frac{-16}{2}=-8$
