To “translate” these words into a numerical equation, you simply just write each portion of the equation out as it’s described. A number x subtracted from 36 means that we are taking a certain number away from 36, which can be written as 36-x. The word “is” in mathematics translates to an equals sign, because it represents how two separate operations are the same value. Finally, three times the sum of 4 and x equals 3(4+x), because sum refers to the operation of addition. Keep in mind that because the question states 3 times the sum of these numbers, that we must put parentheses so that the addition occurs before the multiplication by PEMDAS (order of operations). Our final equation is thus as follows:
36-x = 3(4+x)
Hope this helps!
