Final answer:
The correct mathematical expression for '8 less than the quotient of 5 and a number' is Option b) n/5 - 8. Option b) is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The expression that represents the phrase "8 less than the quotient of 5 and a number" is given by subtracting 8 from the result of dividing 5 by a number. This can be translated into a mathematical expression as follows: First, find the quotient of 5 and a number, which is represented as 5 divided by the number.
Let n be the variable representing any number. Thus, the quotient is expressed as 5/n. Next, take 8 less than that quotient, which means to subtract 8 from it. Combining these two operations into one expression, we get 5/n - 8, which corresponds to the algebraic representation of the phrase. Therefore, the correct option is b) n/5 - 8.