Ravi distributes 6 marbles to each of his friends and runs short by 4 marbles. If the number of his friends is f, how many marbles he had?

Answer

To solve the problem step by step, we can follow this approach:

1. **Identify the Variables**:
- Let \( f \) be the number of friends Ravi has.
- Each friend receives 6 marbles.

2. **Calculate the Total Marbles Needed**:
- The total number of marbles needed for all friends is given by the formula:
\[ \text{Total Marbles Needed} = \text{Number of Friends} \times \text{Marbles per Friend} = f \times 6 = 6f \]

3. **Account for the Shortage**:
- According to the problem, Ravi runs short by 4 marbles. This means he has 4 marbles less than what he needs.
- Therefore, the number of marbles Ravi actually has can be expressed as:
\[ \text{Marbles Ravi Has} = 6f - 4 \]

4. **Conclusion**:
- Thus, the total number of marbles Ravi had is:
\[ \text{Total Marbles Ravi Had} = 6f - 4 \]

### Final Answer:
The number of marbles Ravi had is \( 6f - 4 \).