How do you define a variable and write an expression for each phrase: eight minus the product of 9 and a number?

Question

2703 views around the world

You can reuse this answer
Creative Commons License

Answer 1 · 2016-07-21T19:43:42

$8 - 9xx x" or just " 8 - 9x$

We can choose any variable to represent "the number" being referred to.

Let the number be $x$ .

The word product (meaning multiply is always used with the word "AND", telling us which twp values are being multiplied together.

In this case, "The product of 9 and a number"
This means $9 xx x$

"8 minus ..... " means subtract something from 8.

IN this case it is what we have written above that is being subtracted FROM 8.
Hence:

$8 - 9xx x" or just " 8 - 9x$

(Because of the order of operations, the multiply would happen before the minus.)