Solve for the Missing Factor: 12×3-4×?=12

Question

$12\times3-4\times?=12$

00:01 Let's start with multiplication

00:12 Subtract 36 from both sides to get a variable on one side

00:30 Minus 4 variables equal minus 24

00:32 We want to know what one variable equals

00:34 Therefore we'll divide both sides of the equation by minus 4

According to the laws of Arithmetic operations:

We must first place the multiplication exercise inside parentheses as shown below: $(12\times3)-4\times?=12$

We then solve the multiplication:

$12\times3=36$

Which should result in the following calculation:

$36-4\times?=12$

We then transfer numbers to the other side of the equation and change the signs accordingly:

$-4\times?=12-36$

We complete the subtraction exercise:

$12-36=-24$

Resulting in the following calculation:

$-4\times?=-24$

Finally we divide by negative 4:

$?=\frac{-24}{-4}$

$?=6$

$6$