My dearest fellow members ..
I had been good at maths .. (well, until 15 years ago) and now I am finding it a daunting procedure to translate word problems into equation .. I have found a very few techniques on this and now desperately need your expertise. Most of you will have an excellent skills in this area and I am sure can offer great help. ..
so please please help me !!!
Translating Word Problems into Equation .. Plz Help !!
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It's not a very hard task to translate english into math. It just requires practice. Let's take this problem for example:
When a certain tree was first planted, it was 4 feet tall, and the height of the tree increased by a constant amount each year for the next 6 years. At the end of the 6th year, the tree was 1/5 taller than it was at the end of the 4th year. By how many feet did the height of the tree increase each year?
A. 3/10
B. 2/5
C. 1/2
D. 2/3
E. 6/5
So we are told that the initial height of the tree was 4 feet and that its height increased by a constant amount each year for the next 6 years. Let's call the constant amount x.
Now, at the end of the 6th year, the tree will be 4+x+x+x+x+x+x=4+6x feet tall and at the end of its 4th year, the tree will be 4+4x feet tall. We are told that 4+6x is 1/5 greater than 4+4x, so let's form an equation from the given info.
4+6x=(1+1/5)(4+4x)
4+6x=6/5(4+4x)
4+6x=24/5+24x/5
x=2/3.
So, the height of the tree increased by a constant amount of 2/3 feet each year.
Take each word problem similar to this one step by step, and be sure to read the problem carefully.
When a certain tree was first planted, it was 4 feet tall, and the height of the tree increased by a constant amount each year for the next 6 years. At the end of the 6th year, the tree was 1/5 taller than it was at the end of the 4th year. By how many feet did the height of the tree increase each year?
A. 3/10
B. 2/5
C. 1/2
D. 2/3
E. 6/5
So we are told that the initial height of the tree was 4 feet and that its height increased by a constant amount each year for the next 6 years. Let's call the constant amount x.
Now, at the end of the 6th year, the tree will be 4+x+x+x+x+x+x=4+6x feet tall and at the end of its 4th year, the tree will be 4+4x feet tall. We are told that 4+6x is 1/5 greater than 4+4x, so let's form an equation from the given info.
4+6x=(1+1/5)(4+4x)
4+6x=6/5(4+4x)
4+6x=24/5+24x/5
x=2/3.
So, the height of the tree increased by a constant amount of 2/3 feet each year.
Take each word problem similar to this one step by step, and be sure to read the problem carefully.
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Thanks truplayer256. I was looking for catch phrases or any other techniques one might refer to when it comes to define an equation.