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oobleck you say it denotes "the number" but fail to say what that is.
Then you say "x*4=x*3" which is an equation, not a value. Maybe you want to find the value of x which satisfies the equation, but you don't do a very good job of saying so.
Remember, It's not my job to figure out what you mean.
It's your job to say it so clearly you cannot be misunderstood.