Question

How do you write “difference of \[17\] and \[5\] times a number” as an algebraic expression?

Answer 1

Hint: In the given question, we have been given a phrase. We have to translate that phrase into a simple algebraic expression. In order to achieve that, we must know the meaning of the main, pivotal words of the phrase in the given question. It is related to the given number (rather any given number) in the phrase of the question on which the operation is being applied.

Complete step by step answer:
In the given question, the phrase given is
difference of \[17\] and \[5\] times a number
First, difference of \[17\] and \[5\] is
\[17 - 5 = 12\]
Now, we have to evaluate \[12\] “times” a number.
“Times” in this sense means multiplication.
For example,
\[18\] times \[3\] is \[18 \times 3 = 54\].
Let the number be \[x\].
So, \[12\] times the number (here taken to be \[x\]) is,
\[12 \times x = 12x\]

Note: In the given question, we had to translate the given sentence into algebraic expression. We did that by reading the sentence word to word and writing the numbers and applying the operations on them. Some students make mistakes while writing the numbers (could write them wrong in haste) or would misinterpret the word defining the operation between the given numbers. We need to make sure that we calmly read and write the things and get our answers right.