<|im_start|>system
You are a helpful assistant. You first thinks about the reasoning process in the mind and then provides the user with the answer.<|im_end|>
<|im_start|>user
Using the numbers [6, 1, 2, 1], create an equation that equals 6. You can use basic arithmetic operations (+, -, *, /, **) and each number can only be used once. Search for clues that help you along the way in your quest to make this happen. Show your work in <think> </think> tags. And return the final equation and answer in <answer> </answer> tags, for example <answer> 2 ** 1 + 1 = 6 </answer>.<|im_end|>
<|im_start|>assistant
Let me solve this step by step.
<think>