So you can set this up as an equation. Let's use "x" to represent the number we're trying to find.
"One fourth a number" = \(\frac{1}{4}x\)
"Decreased by ten" = -10
"Equals negative fifty" = -50
So altogether it looks like:
\(\frac{1}{4}x - 10 = -50\)
First you need to add 10 to both sides. Now it's:
\(\frac{1}{4}x=-40\)
Now to get x, you need to multiply both sides by 4. The answer is:
\(x=-160\)
