five times the difference of a number and 3 is 17

Answer 1

5(x-3)=17

5x-15 =17

5x = 32

x = 32/5 = 6.4

or 5(3-x) = 17

15-5x = 17

-5x = 17-15 = 2

x = -2/5 = -0.4

the difference between a number and 3 may be x-3 or 3-x

since the number is mentioned first, I'd go with x-3 and x=6.4

Answer 2

5 * (x - 3)=17

times= multiply

difference= subtraction

x - 3 = 17/5

x - 3 = 3.4

x=6.4