Should the phrase (the product of 2 plus a number divided by 3 and a number minus 4) be expressed as 2 + (n/3)+(a-4)

Thank You

Where's the product. You should have said

(2+(n/3))*(a-4)

I can see where it might also be

(2+n)/3 * (n-4)

That assumes that the two numbers are the same. If not, it'd be

(2+a)/3 * (b-4)

To determine whether the phrase "the product of 2 plus a number divided by 3 and a number minus 4" should be expressed as 2 + (n/3)+(a-4), we need to break it down and follow the correct order of operations.

The phrase "the product of 2 plus a number divided by 3" suggests that we need to perform the multiplication before the division. So, we have: 2 * (n/3).

Next, "a number minus 4" implies we subtract 4 from the number. Therefore, the complete expression becomes: 2 * (n/3) + (n - 4).

To further simplify and follow the correct order of operations, we can apply the distributive property by multiplying 2 by (n/3):

2 * (n/3) = (2n)/3

By substituting this simplification into the expression we obtained earlier, we have:

(2n)/3 + (n - 4)

Now we can rearrange the expression to have the variables first and constant terms afterwards:

(n/3)(2 + 3) + (n - 4)

Simplifying further, we get:

(2n + 3n - 4 + 12)/3

Combining like terms, this simplifies to:

(5n + 8)/3

Therefore, the expression "the product of 2 plus a number divided by 3 and a number minus 4" should be expressed as (5n + 8)/3, rather than 2 + (n/3) + (a - 4).