Amanda checked out 7 fiction books from the library. She also checked out three times as many non-fiction books. The next day, Amanda returned 5 books to the library. How many books does she have now. Write an expression to explain your answer?

7 + 3(7) - 5 = x

7 + 21 - 5 = x

? = x

7+7(3)=28

28-5=23

To find the number of books Amanda has now, we can follow these steps:

1. Start with the number of fiction books she checked out: 7.
2. Determine the number of non-fiction books she checked out by multiplying the number of fiction books by 3: 7 x 3 = 21.
3. Add the number of fiction and non-fiction books to find the total number of books Amanda checked out: 7 + 21 = 28.
4. Subtract the number of books Amanda returned from the total number of books checked out: 28 - 5 = 23.

Therefore, Amanda has 23 books now.

Expression: Total number of books Amanda has now = Total number of books checked out - Number of books returned = 28 - 5 = 23.