Question

The sum of a number and 12 is -31. find the number.

Answer 1

Let L represent an arbitrary number. The phrase "The sum of a number and 12" may be translated as: L+12. If the sum of a number and 12 is -31, then the following equation is stated:

`L+12=-31`

Substract 12 from both sides of the equation:

`\begin{gathered} L=-31-12 \\ \Rightarrow L=-43 \end{gathered}`

Therefore, the number we were searching for is -43.