Let's call the number x. So four times the number minus five would look like 4x-5 Twice the number plus three would look like 2x+3 Now make the two equations equal 4x-5=2x+3 I'm going to subtract 2x from each side 2x-5=3 Now I'm going to add five to each side 2x=8 Now divide both sides by 2 x=4 To double check, just plug back into the original equations 4(4)-5=11 2(4)+3=11 They are equal, so the answer is x=4.