how to write the mathematical sentence

Question

Five is a negative number diminished by three.

Answer 1

his is a poorly posed sentence. Any variable can be either positive or negative. No way is presented to designate some variable that is only a negative.

So 

n represents a positive number

Five is a negative number diminished by three

  5   =         -n                      -                 3

 

5 = -n - 3