Certainly! Let's interpret the phrase and derive the algebraic expression step by step.
The phrase given is "the number of baseballs minus 3 lost during practice."
1. Identify the variable:
- We're given that [tex]\( b \)[/tex] represents the number of baseballs.
2. Understand the phrase:
- "Minus 3 lost during practice" means we need to subtract 3 from the total number of baseballs.
3. Construct the expression:
- "The number of baseballs" is [tex]\( b \)[/tex].
- "Minus 3" indicates a subtraction of 3 from the number of baseballs.
Putting these together, the expression that represents "the number of baseballs minus 3 lost during practice" is:
[tex]\[ b - 3 \][/tex]
Now, let's look at the provided choices:
- Choice A: [tex]\( b \div 3 \)[/tex] - This represents the number of baseballs divided by 3, which does not fit our phrase.
- Choice B: [tex]\( b - 3 \)[/tex] - This correctly represents subtracting 3 from the number of baseballs, matching our phrase.
- Choice C: [tex]\( b \cdot 3 \)[/tex] - This represents the number of baseballs multiplied by 3, which is not what the phrase indicates.
- Choice D: [tex]\( b + 3 \)[/tex] - This represents adding 3 to the number of baseballs, which does not match our phrase either.
Thus, the correct algebraic expression is [tex]\( b - 3 \)[/tex], which corresponds to choice B.
Therefore, the correct answer is:
[tex]\[ \boxed{B} \][/tex]
