Question

The product of three and a number is equal to that number minus two

Answer 1

3 x y = y - 2 write this equation

Answer 2

Let $x$ be our unknown number. The product of that number and 3 is thus $3x$. Than number minus two means $x-2$. These two quantities are equal, so we have

$3x=x-2$

If you want to solve the equation, subtract x from both sides to get

$2x=-2$

and finally divide both sides by 2 to get

$x=-1$