Question 1132446: Seventeen less than the quotient of a number cubed and eleven in an algebraic expression Found 2 solutions by ikleyn, greenestamps:Answer by ikleyn(52914) (Show Source):
It can be confusing for beginning students to understand how to convert the written expressions into algebraic expressions. Let's take a look at this one small piece at a time.
"seventeen less than..."
"less than" indicates the number is subtracted from something else:
(unknown expression) - 17
NOTE: That is where beginning students are most likely to make mistakes. They read "seventeen less than" and know "less than" means subtraction, so they write the algebraic expression as "17 - (unknown expression). But clearly the phrase means that it is the 17 that is being subtracted.
"seventeen less than the quotient of..."
"quotient" indicates one thing divided by another):
