Word Problems - Chart Method

Formulae to know

Understand the relationships
  • total = sum
  • sum = addend + addend
  • difference = minuend - subtrahend
  • product = factor x factor
  • quotient = dividend ÷ divisor
  • 2 years ago = - 2
  • 2 years from now = + 2
  • twice means 2 times as many
  • triple means 3 times as many
A number
Twice the number
Triple the number

½ x
2(½ x)
3(½x)
x
2x
3x
2x
2(½ x)
2(½x)
3x
3(½ x)
3(½x)

A list of related numbers can be used to generate a word problem. Example:

List: 20, 20, 80

Word Problem: Two numbers are the same. The other is twice the sum of the first two. If the sum of the numbers is 120, what are the three numbers?

Note: When assigning an unknown consider assigning x to the smaller/younger/slowest/shortest value.

 

Distance

Coin

Mixture

Age

Consecutive integers

Integer 1
Integer 2
Integer 3
Sum/Difference/Product/Quotient
x
x + 1
x + 2
 

Consecutive even integers

Integer 1
Integer 2
Integer 3
Sum/Difference/Product/Quotient
2x
2x + 2
2x + 4
 

Consecutive odd integer

Integer 1
Integer 2
Integer 3
Sum/Difference/Product/Quotient
2x + 1
(2x + 1) + 2
(2x + 1) + 4
 
Comments to:  Jim Reed
Started September, 1998. Copyright © 1999 - 2009