Question

How do you translate the following statement "Five less than a number is seventeen" into an algebraic expression and then find the number?

Answer 1

`x-5=17`
(22)

Explanation:

So we know that the number we are looking for is five more than seventeen.

`x-5=17`
`x=+5=+5`
so we will need to add the number on the left of the equals sign to get the x by itself.
Add the 5 to the 17.
(22)
`x=22`

So `x-5=17` would be the translated expression.

Answer 2

See the process below:

Explanation:

We can represent "a number" as "x".

"Five less than a number" would be the same as saying "`x - 5`", and this will be equal to 17, so the full equation is:

`x - 5 = 17`

To find the number representative of x, add five to both sides to get `x = 22`.