So you can set this up as an equation. Let's use "x" to represent the number we're trying to find.
"One fourth a number" = [tex] \frac{1}{4}x[/tex]
"Decreased by ten" = -10
"Equals negative fifty" = -50
So altogether it looks like:
[tex] \frac{1}{4}x - 10 = -50[/tex]
First you need to add 10 to both sides. Now it's:
[tex] \frac{1}{4}x=-40 [/tex]
Now to get x, you need to multiply both sides by 4. The answer is:
[tex]x=-160[/tex]
