Write an algebraic phrase for this verbal expression

9 less than one half a number.

I get confused by these a lot, but this is what I came up with,

9 - (x/2)

x/2 - 9.

Thanks.

To write an algebraic phrase for the verbal expression "9 less than one-half a number," you can follow these steps:

Step 1: Assign a variable to the unknown number. Let's use the variable "x" in this case.

Step 2: Determine the mathematical operation associated with the phrase "less than." It denotes subtraction.

Step 3: Translate "one-half a number" into algebraic notation. This can be represented as (1/2)x.

Step 4: Combine the translated expressions from Steps 2 and 3. Subtracting 9 from (1/2)x, we get:

(1/2)x - 9

Hence, the algebraic phrase for "9 less than one-half a number" is (1/2)x - 9.