Equations & Word Problems

How to:1. Breathe.2. Read the whole question.3. Re-read each sentence and note important

details (numbers!)4. Draw a picture, if needed.5. Write an equation.6. Solve.

Example

ExampleAt 1pm on Sunny Isle Beach, Juan noticed the temperature outside was 96 degrees. The temperature decreased at a steady rate of 4 degrees per hour. Write an equation to model the situation. At what time was the temperature 80 degrees?

ExampleOne year, Kent played Play Station 4 for five fewer hours than Dennis, and Joy played six hours more than Dennis. Although, the three friends played on the PS4 for a total of 205 hours. Write an equation to model the situation. Find the number of hours each person played on the PS4 in on year.

Word Problems with Proportions

1. Identify two quantities (usually nouns or units of measurement).

Examples: cookies, inches, miles, trees, books, etc.

2. Set up fractions….pick which quantity is going on top and which quantity is going on bottom.

3. Cross Multiply.4. Divide to get variable alone.

ExampleThe windows on a building are proportional to the size of the building. The height of each window is 18 in., and the width is 11 in. If the height of the building is 108 ft, what is the width of the building?

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ExampleEric is planning to bake approximately 305 cookies. If 3 pounds of cookie dough make 96 cookies, how many pounds of cookie dough should he make?

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Time, Distance and SpeedA cargo plane made a trip to the airshow and back. The trip there took six hours and the trip back took four hours. What was the cargo plane's average speed on the trip there if it averaged 255 mph on the return trip?

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Time, Distance and SpeedEduardo traveled to his friend's house and back. It took three hours longer to go there than it did to come back. The average speed on the trip there was 22 km/h. The average speed on the way back was 55 km/h. How many hours did the trip there take?

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Working TogetherDan can pick forty bushels of apples in eight hours. Ted can pick the same amount in ten hours. Find how long it would take them if they worked together.

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