Notebook costs for \(1\text{--}5\) notebooks are \(\$3\), \(\$6\), \(\$9\), \(\$12\), \(\$15\). Compare costs for \(5\) and \(2\) notebooks using values, a symbol, and difference.

Two different notebook quantities point to two different rows, so keep each quantity paired with the cost beside it. Read the two costs first, decide which is greater, and subtract the smaller cost from the larger one to measure the difference. Using only those matched rows prevents the notebook counts themselves from being compared as though they were dollar amounts.