6 friends are going to a bowling alley. They have to pay a fee per game and $2 to rent shoes. If they plan on only playing one game, the cost is $48.

3

Step-by-step explanation:

Let x be the number of games they bowled.

Then, we know that each shoe rental was $2.50.  So, the total cost for shoes was 3 * $2.50 = $7.50

The total number of games they bowled was 3 * x (since there were 3 persons).

Now, the cost per game was $5.30.  So, the total cost for games bowled (minus shoes) was:

3x($5.30) = $15.90x

Now, add the cost of the shoes ($7.50) and you have the total cost ($55.20):

$15.90x + $7.50 = $55.20

Subtract $7.50 from both sides:

$15.90x = $47.70

Divide both sides by $15.90:

x = 3 (the number of games they bowled)

b

step-by-step explanation:

a difference is the result of subtraction. while each of these expressions has subtraction in it, a difference will be the result when subtraction is the last operation applied in the order of operations for the expression. this means subtraction must be outside of the parenthesis. only b has this.