Solving Any Word Problem

Mar
22

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From the CSET Study Guide

The english used in the word problem must be translated into a math problem.

There are “buzz” words in english that give away the mathematical operation(s) that are to be used. Below is a list of “buzz” words to look for in a word problem.

Addition = increased by, more than, combined, together, total of sum, added to
Subtraction = decreased by, minus, less, difference between/of, less than, fewer than
Multiplication = of, times, multiplied by, product of, increased/decreased by a factor of
Division = per, a, out of, ratio of, quotient of, percent
Equals = is, are, was, were, will be, gives, yields, sold for

For example, notice that “per” means division as in “If Unique Designs paid a total of $17 for 4 yards of fabric, how much did they pay per yard?”. Sometimes “a” is substituted for “per” as in “how much did they pay a yard?”

Watch out for subtraction! “Less than” is backwards in English from what it is in math. If you need to translate “2.75 less than x”, do not write “2.75 - x”. This should be written as “x - 2.75″. Remember, “less than” is backwards when translating to math; “Three less than four” is translated as “4 - 3″.

If you need to translate “the difference of x and y”, it means “x - y”, not “y - x”.

Finally, becareful with translating “quotient/ratio of”. If a problem says “the ratio of 4 and 2″, it means “4 divided by 2″, not “2 divided by 4″.

President Bush is a given a security briefing. Vice President Dick Cheney is concluding his part and says, “Finally, three Brazilian soldiers were killed yesterday near Baghdad.”

“OH MY GOD!” shrieks Bush, and he buries his head in his hands for a seemingly interminable 30 seconds. Stunned at the unexpected display of emotion, the President’s staff sits speechless, not sure how to react.

Finally, Bush looks up and asks Cheney, “How many is a brazillion?”

By Lupie Gonzales
http://www.ACEtheCSET.com
Lupie Gonzales

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