8 times the difference of a number and 2 is the same as 3 times the sum of the number and 3. What is

8 times the difference of a number and 2 is the same as 3 times the sum of the number and 3. What is the number?

Let the number be n. We're given two expressions:

1. 8(n - 2) difference means we subtract
2. 3(n + 3) sum means we add

The phrase is the same as mean an equation. So we set the first expression equal to the second expression:
8(n - 2) = 3(n + 3)

To solve this equation for n, we type it in our search engine and we see that:
n = 5