2x + 8=20 - x
That is the equation. As you are reading the sentence try writing down exactly what it says. “2 times a number” We know that “times” means multiply, but what are we multiplying. It says to multiply 2 and a number, but we don’t know that number so we call it “x.” Then, it says “plus 8” or add 8. From that information we should come up with the expression 2x + 8. Then, it states “is the same as” which basically means equal to or =. Finally, it states “20 minus the number.” We subtract 20 and the number which can be shown as 20 - x.
All together the equation is written as 2x + 8=20 - x
We can simply do this by writing exactly what the sentence states in the order that it is written.