3 less than a number times itself
The phrase a number means an arbitrary variable, let's call it x:
x
Itself means the same variable as above. So we have:
x * x
x^2
3 less than this means we subtract 3 from x^2:
x^2 - 3
The phrase a number means an arbitrary variable, let's call it x:
x
Itself means the same variable as above. So we have:
x * x
x^2
3 less than this means we subtract 3 from x^2:
x^2 - 3