1. Problem Solving
Goal:
Create and solve an equation to answer a real-life problem.
Eligible Content:
A / A / A

2. Tips
Look for key words like sum, difference, product, quotient, more than, less than, increased, decreased, times, divided …
Figure out what the unknown is and assign a variable.
Draw a picture if it would be helpful.

3. Example #1
Jill has 6 more than 4 times the amount of money that her brother has. If Jill has $46, how much does her brother have?
6+4x = 46
x = $10

4. Example #2
John has $80 and Mary has $200. Every week John saves $5 of his allowance, and Mary spends $15 from her savings. When will they have the same amount of money?
80 + 5x = 200 – 15x
6 weeks

5. Example #3
At East High School, 334 students are taking Spanish. This number is increasing at a rate of about 30 students per year. The number of students taking French is 460 and has been decreasing at a rate of about 12 students per year. When will the same number of students be taking Spanish and French?
x = 460 – 12x
3 years

6. Example #4
You are designing a house with four windows on the back. Each window is 2 feet wide. There are 5 feet between each end window and the edges of the house. The width of the house is 39 feet. How far apart should the windows be placed?
3x + 18 = 39
x = 7 feet apart

7. Example #5
You are designing a page for your yearbook. You want to have 3 pictures across the page. Each page is 9 inches wide. You want to leave a margin on each side of 1 inch, and you want 0.5 inches between the pictures. How wide can the pictures be?
3x + 3 = 9
x = 2 inches

8. Example #6
The perimeter of the triangle is 34 inches. Find the value of x.
x + x = 34
x = 9 inches x 12
x + 4

9. Practice
Worksheet – “Chapter 2 Problem Solving”

10. Homework
Worksheet – “Chapter 2 Problem Solving Homework”