The equation "3 × 4 = 12" represents a basic multiplication problem. In this case, the number 3 is multiplied by 4, which means that 3 is added together 4 times. This can be visualized as having 4 groups of 3 items each. The result of this multiplication is 12, indicating the total number of items when combining all the groups. Multiplication is a fundamental arithmetic operation used in various real-life situations, such as calculating total costs or determining quantities in recipes.