Twelve less than seven times a number is 16

Let us assume the unknown number to be = x

Then, based on the information's already given in the question the equation can be written as

7x - 12 = 16

7x = 16 + 12

7x = 28

x = 28/7

= 4

So from the above deduction we can conclude that the unknown number in the question is 4. I hope the procedure is simple enough for you to understand. You can always use this method in future for solving similar problems.