Find a number that is decreased by 12 when you form half of the number, explain how you got your answer.

It reads to me that

n/2 + 12 = n

multiply each side by two...
n+24=2n
subtract n from both sides
n-n+24 = 2n-n
24=n

check it. Take one half of 24, or 12. Is that the same as the number 24 decreased by 12?