ruben is thinking of a number x.if he multiplies the number by 5 and then subtracts 12 from the product, the answers he gets is equal to 3 times x. what is x?
5x - 12 = 3x
2x = 12
x = ?
Let's break down the problem step by step:
Step 1: Represent the unknown number:
Let's assume that the number Ruben is thinking of is "x".
Step 2: Translate the problem into an equation:
The problem states that if we multiply the number by 5 and then subtract 12 from the product, the answer will be equal to 3 times the original number. Mathematically, we can represent this as follows:
5x - 12 = 3x
Step 3: Solve the equation to find x:
To solve for x, we need to isolate it on one side of the equation.
Subtract 3x from both sides:
5x - 3x - 12 = 0
2x - 12 = 0
Add 12 to both sides:
2x = 12
Divide both sides by 2:
x = 6
Therefore, the number Ruben is thinking of is 6.