1. 272 = 34y
2. Isolate y by applying inverse operations will get you the answer. The inverse operation of multiplication is division. Divide 34 by both sides to cancel out the 34 on the right side (therefore isolating y) and to ultimately get the answer for y.
(272/34) = (34/34)y ⇒ 8 = 1y (Note that 1y is equivalent to simply y) ⇒ 8 = y
3. To double check, replace y with 8 in the original equation and see if it's true.
272 = 34(8) ⇒ 272 = 272
Therefore 8 is the correct answer for y equals 8 in this equation.