72 plus what equals 39?

This is how to calculate "72 plus what equals 39?" In other words, 72 plus a number equals 39. What is that number? We start by converting this word problem into an equation where "what" is what we want to solve:

72 + what = 39

To solve this equation, we first add -72 to each side of the equal sign like this:

72 - 72 + what = 39 - 72

Then, we do the calculation to get the answer to "72 plus what equals 39?" as follows:

What = -33

The answer to "72 plus what equals 39?" is -33. You know this answer is correct because 72 plus -33 equals 39.

Plus What Equals Calculator
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72 plus what equals 40?
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