Which of the following translates the phrase '5 less than 2 × a number' into a mathematical expression?

Rationale

The mathematical expression that translates the phrase '5 less than 2 times a number' is 2x - 5.

This phrase is a common way of describing a mathematical relationship in word problems. "2 times a number" can be represented as 2x, where x is the unknown number. "5 less than" means that we subtract 5 from that product, resulting in the expression 2x - 5.

A (5 - 2x) YOUR ANSWER

This choice is incorrect because it represents the phrase "2 times a number less than 5" rather than "5 less than 2 times a number". In mathematical terms, the order of the operations matters.

B (5x - 2) YOUR ANSWER

This expression would correspond to the phrase "2 less than 5 times a number". It does not accurately translate the original phrase as the value being subtracted and the coefficient are both incorrect.

C (2x - 5) CORRECT

This is the correct expression. It accurately translates the phrase "5 less than 2 times a number" into mathematical terms. Here, "2 times a number" is represented as 2x, and "5 less than" translates to subtracting 5 from that product.

D (2 - 5x) YOUR ANSWER

This answer choice represents the phrase "5 times a number less than 2". It incorrectly places the 5 as a multiplicator of the unknown number and the 2 as the number from which the product is subtracted.

Conclusion

The correct mathematical expression for the phrase '5 less than 2 times a number' is 2x - 5. This accurately represents the operations described in the words: the number is multiplied by 2, and then 5 is subtracted from that result. The other answer choices fail to correctly translate the phrase because they misrepresent the order of operations or the values being manipulated.

Which of the following translates the phrase '5 less than 2 × a number' into a mathematical expression?

The mathematical expression that translates the phrase '5 less than 2 times a number' is 2x - 5.

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