In the equation 3x + 8 = 23, x represents the number of rolls of wrapping paper sold by Nathan.
According to the problem, Jaime sells three times as many rolls of wrapping paper as Nathan. So, if Nathan sells x rolls of wrapping paper, then Jaime sells 3x rolls of wrapping paper.
In addition to the rolls of wrapping paper, Jaime also sells 8 candles. So, the total number of items sold by Jaime is 3x + 8.
The problem tells us that the total number of items sold by both Jaime and Nathan is 23. Therefore, we can write an equation to represent this situation:
x + (3x + 8) = 23
Simplifying this equation, we get:
4x + 8 = 23
Subtracting 8 from both sides, we get:
4x = 15
Dividing both sides by 4, we get:
x = 3.75
Therefore, x represents the number of rolls of wrapping paper sold by Nathan, which is 3.75 according to this equation.