a. The expression in simplest form that represents the difference between the number of subscriptions your friend has sold and the number you have sold is:
(5w + 1) - (3w + 4).
To simplify this expression, we can distribute the negative sign in front of (3w + 4) and combine like terms:
5w + 1 - 3w - 4.
Combining like terms, we get:
(5w - 3w) + (1 - 4) = 2w - 3.
Therefore, the simplified expression is 2w - 3.
b. After 5 weeks, your friend has sold more subscriptions than you. To verify this, we need to compare the number of subscriptions each of you sold.
For you: Substitute w = 5 into the expression 3w + 4:
3(5) + 4 = 15 + 4 = 19 subscriptions.
For your friend: Substitute w = 5 into the expression 5w + 1:
5(5) + 1 = 25 + 1 = 26 subscriptions.
Therefore, after 5 weeks, your friend has sold 26 subscriptions, which is 26 - 19 = 7 more subscriptions than you have sold.