When you have $(x - 12) \div 3 \times 3$, the operations of dividing by 3 and then multiplying by 3 are inverse operations. They cancel each other out. Step 1: Consider the left side of the equation from Step 2: $$ (x - 12) \div 3 \times 3 $$ Step 2: Division by 3 can be written as multiplication by $\frac{1}{3}$. $$ (x - 12) \times \frac{1}{3} \times 3 $$ Step 3: Multiply $\frac{1}{3}$ by 3. $$ \frac{1}{3} \times 3 = \frac{3}{3} = 1 $$ Step 4: Substitute this back into the expression. $$ (x - 12) \times 1 $$ $$ = x - 12 $$ So, the $\div 3$ and $\times 3$ on the left side effectively cancel out, leaving only $x - 12$. That's 2 down. 3 left today — send the next one.