The difference between two numbers is 196. The bigger number is 3 times the smaller number. Find the product of the two numbers.

Let's denote the smaller number as $x$ and the bigger number as $y$.

According to the problem, we have two pieces of information:

1. The difference between the two numbers is 196.
2. The bigger number is 3 times the smaller number.

We can write these as equations:

1. $y - x = 196$
2. $y = 3x$

Now, we can substitute the second equation into the first equation to find $x$:

$3x - x = 196$

Simplify the equation:

$2x = 196$

Divide both sides by 2:

$x = 98$

Now that we have the value of the smaller number, we can find the bigger number using the second equation:

$y = 3x$

Substitute $x = 98$:

$y = 3 \times 98$

$y = 294$

Finally, we need to find the product of the two numbers:

$x \times y = 98 \times 294$

Calculate the product:

$98 \times 294 = 28752$

So, the product of the two numbers is 28,752.