Let x = the number. Triple the number is 3x. The difference between triple the number and 2 is 3x-2.
The equation is 4 times (3x-2) equals 28, or
4(3x-2) = 28
3x-2 = 28/4 divide both sides by 4
3x-2 = 7 simplify
3x = 7+2 add 2 to both sides to isolate the x term
3x = 9 simplify
x = 9/3 divide both sides by 3 to isolate x
x = 3 solve for x
Therefore, the answer is 3.