Final answer:
The expression 42x - 5 represents a story or situation involving a quantity x, where 42 is multiplied by x and then 5 is subtracted from the result.
Step-by-step explanation:
In mathematics, the expression 42x - 5 represents a story or situation involving a quantity x, where 42 is multiplied by x and then 5 is subtracted from the result.
For example, let's create a story where x represents the number of apples bought by a person. In this story, if the person bought x apples and each apple cost $42, then the expression 42x - 5 represents the total cost of the apples after a $5 discount.
So, if the person bought 3 apples, the expression 42(3) - 5 would represent the final cost: 126 - 5 = $121.