Certainly! Let's define the variables first:
- Let [tex]\( p \)[/tex] represent the cost of a pen.
- Let [tex]\( n \)[/tex] represent the cost of a notebook.
According to the problem, the cost of the pen is [tex]$5 less than half the cost of a notebook.
To translate this into a mathematical equation, we express the relationship between \( p \) and \( n \):
\[ p = \frac{1}{2}n - 5 \]
This equation shows that the cost of the pen (\( p \)) is derived by taking half the cost of the notebook (\( \frac{1}{2}n \)) and then subtracting $[/tex]5 from it.
