Translate the phrase 'Five less than twice the number' into a mathematical expression.

Rationale

2x-5 is the mathematical expression that translates the phrase 'Five less than twice the number'.

In mathematics, the phrase 'Five less than twice the number' means we first multiply a number by two (twice the number) and then subtract five from the result. This operation can be represented as 2x-5, where x stands for the number.

A (5x-2) YOUR ANSWER

This expression represents 'Two less than five times the number', not 'Five less than twice the number'. In this expression, the number is first multiplied by five (five times the number) and then two is subtracted from it, which is different from the original phrase.

B (2x-5) CORRECT

The mathematical expression 2x-5 translates the phrase 'Five less than twice the number'. The term 'twice the number' is represented by '2x' and 'Five less than' is represented by '-5'. The expression is read as 'two times x, minus five', which matches the phrase.

C (2-5x) YOUR ANSWER

This expression represents 'Two less than five times the number', not 'Five less than twice the number'. In this expression, the number is first multiplied by five (five times the number), and then subtracted from two, changing the order of operations from the original phrase.

D (5-2x) YOUR ANSWER

This expression represents 'Five less than two times the number', not 'Five less than twice the number'. In this expression, two is multiplied by the number (two times the number) and then subtracted from five, which again changes the order of operations from the original phrase.

Conclusion

In the given phrase 'Five less than twice the number', 'twice the number' translates to '2x' and 'Five less than' translates to '-5'. Therefore, the correct mathematical expression is 2x-5. All other expressions either misinterpret the phrase or change the order of operations.

Translate the phrase 'Five less than twice the number' into a mathematical expression.

2x-5 is the mathematical expression that translates the phrase 'Five less than twice the number'.

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