In the question it says -4 times a number plus 16 is equal to 116. How can we build from the statement into an equation? First off, "a number" is our x variable. So, the left-hand side can be -4x + 16. What about the right-hand side? Well, in the question it states that -4 times a number plus 16 is -116. "Is" in mathematics can mean equal.