Solving Algebra word problems is useful in helping you to solve earthly problems. While the 5 steps of Algebra problem solving are listed below, this article will focus on the first step, Identify the problem.
Use the Following Steps to Solve Word Problems:
Back away from the calculator; use your brain first.
Your mind analyzes, plans, and guides in the labyrinthine quest for the solution. Think of the calculator as merely a tool that makes the journey easier. After all, you wouldn’t want a surgeon to crack your ribs and perform a heart transplant without first identifying the source of your chest pains.
The steps of identifying the problem are:
In Algebra word problems, the problem is expressed as either a question or a statement.
Question:
Statement:
What will the answer look like? Now that you understand the word problem’s purpose, determine the answer’s unit.
For example, will the answer be in miles, feet, ounces, pesos, dollars, the number of trees, or a number of televisions?
Javier is making brownies to serve at the family picnic. If the recipe calls for 2 ½ cups of cocoa to serve 4 people, how many cups will he need if 60 people attend the picnic?
In the market for computer batteries, the intersection of the supply and demand functions determines the price, p dollars, and the quantity, q, of goods sold.
Supply function: 80q – p= 0
Demand function: 4q + p= 300Determine the price and quantity of computer batteries sold when these functions intersect.