How do you write an algebraic expression for the phrase "a number minus the cube of 4"?

1 Answer
Jan 18, 2017

If nn is "a number", then it's n - 4^3n43.

Explanation:

No real explanation here, just the fact that referring, arbitrarily, to "a number" signals the usage of a variable, that is represented by a letter. "minus the cube of four" can be interpreted as either -4^343 or -6464, although since we need our algebraic interpretation to be as close as possible to the description, it's more accurate to write -4^343.