Question

If Molly scored a total of 27 points in the basketball game and she scored n points in the last half of the game, write an expression to determine the number of points she scored in the first half of the game.

Answer 1

Assume that the number of points she scored in the first half is m.

We are given that she scored a total of 27 points and the the points she scored in the second half is n.
This means that:
Total score = score in first half + score in second half
27 = m + n
m = 27 - n

Therefore, your desired expression is:
m = 27-n