Final answer:
Tony has x - 9 dollars, which considers that he has 9 dollars fewer than Michael's x dollars. This reflects an understanding that subtraction of a number from a variable gives a result smaller than the original variable.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is asking which mathematical expression correctly represents the amount of money that Tony has, given that Michael has x dollars and Tony has 9 fewer dollars than Michael. Given the options:
- a. Tony has x + 9 dollars
- b. Tony has x - 9 dollars
- c. Tony has 9x dollars
- d. Tony has x/9 dollars
The correct option is 'b'. Tony has x - 9 dollars. This is because the expression x - 9 correctly reflects that Tony has 9 less than whatever amount x represents. It demonstrates the basic principle that when subtracting a positive number from a variable, the result will be less than the original value.