<|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 [24, 50, 12, 8], create an equation that equals 256. You can use basic arithmetic operations (+, -, *, /) and each number can only be used once. Show your work in <think> </think> tags. And return the final equation and answer in <answer> </answer> tags for example <answer> 16 * (24 + 8) * (50 / 10) = 256 </answer>. Another solution could be <answer> (50 - 12) / 2 * 8 * 4 = 256 </answer>.<|im_end|>
<|im_start|>assistant
Let me solve this step by step.
<think>