three times a number less four is 17
put in number form
3n - 4 = 17
Please re-read what you wrote and fix it. It can't be "less four". That doesn't make sense.
The term "less four" means "minus four."
In this sentence, it's used as a preposition.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/less
three more than a number is less than 17
To convert the given statement into an equation, we use the variable "x" to represent the unknown number. The statement "three times a number less four is 17" can be written as:
3x - 4 = 17
This equation represents that three times the number (3x) minus four (-4) is equal to seventeen (17).