The algebraic expression that correctly represents "8 less than a number" is option A: x - 8. To understand why, let's break it down step by step:
1. We start with a variable, which represents the unknown number. Let's call it "x".
2. The phrase "8 less than a number" indicates that we need to subtract 8 from the number.
3. To express subtraction in algebra, we use the minus sign (-).
4. Therefore, we can write the expression as x - 8. To better understand this, let's consider an example. Let's say the unknown number is 15. Plugging this value into the expression, we get: 15 - 8 = 7 So, 8 less than 15 is 7.
In summary, the correct algebraic expression for "8 less than a number" is x - 8, where x represents the unknown number.
