If 11 times a number is added to twice the number, the result is 104 Let the number be an arbitrary variable we call x. 11 times a number: 11x Twice the number (means we multiply x by 2): 2x The phrase is added to means we add 2x to 11x: 11x + 2x Simplify by grouping like terms: (11 + 2)x = 13x The phrase the result is means an equation, so we set 13x equal to 104: 13x = 104 <-- This is our algebraic expression To solve this equation for x, we type it in our search engine and we get: x = 8