Four times a number y is sixteen

Answer 1

Let y be the number.

Times means multiplication

is means equal

The equation is:

4y=16

To solve this, divide both sides by 4

4y/4=16/4

y=4

Answer 2

So with a question like this, you want to write it exactly how it reads.

"Four times a number, y, is sixteen."

(When an expression says "a number...", they are wanting you to put a variable as that part. In this case, that variable is y.)

Let's break it down:

Four · y is Sixteen

Let's go even further:

4 · y = 16

4y = 16

At this point, you can use simple algebra to solve this expression.

Isolate the variable. In other words, solve for y.

4y = 16

4 4

y = 4