Algebra for dummies

Word P roblems Word Problems Made Easy

Rebecca Wingard-Nelson

Illustrated by Tom LaBaff

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Word Problems Made Easy
Rebecca Wingard-Nelson

Enslow Elementary, an imprint of Enslow Publishers, Inc. Enslow Elementary ® is a registered trademark of Enslow Publishers, Inc. Copyright © 2005 by Enslow Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of thisbook may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Wingard-Nelson, Rebecca. Word problems made easy / Rebecca Wingard-Nelson. p. cm. — (Making math easy) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7660-2512-8 1. Word problems (Mathematics)—Juvenile literature. I. Title. QA63.W56 2005 510'.76–dc222004028097 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To Our Readers: We have done our best to make sure all Internet Addresses in this book were active and appropriate when we went to press. However, the author and the publisher have no control over and assume no liability for the material available on those Internet sites or on other Web sites they may link to. Any comments orsuggestions can be sent by e-mail to comments@enslow.com or to the address on the back cover.

Illustrations: Tom LaBaff Cover illustration: Tom LaBaff

Contents
Introduction Problem-Solving Steps Problem-Solving Tips To o Little Information To o Much Information Estimation Lo ok for a Pattern Draw a Picture Logical Thinking Make a Table Make a List Work Backward Make an Easier Problem Use aGraph Write an Equation Addition Problems Subtraction Problems Multiplication Problems Division Problems Multi-Step Problems Combine Plans Further Reading Internet Addresses Index 5 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 47 48

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Introduction
M
ath is all around, and an important part of your life. You use math when you are playing games, cooking food, spending money,telling time, reading music, or doing any other activity that uses numbers. Even finding a television station uses math! Word Problems Are Everywhere Word problems use every kind of math. They help you use math to figure out things in the real world. You probably already know how to do the math; now you just need to know how to use it! Using This Book This book can be used to learn or to review howto solve word problems. Use it on your own or with a friend, tutor, or parent. Get ready to discover math . . . made easy!

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ProblemW
ord problems can be solved by following four easy steps.

1 Read the problem.
Read carefully. What do you know? What do you need to find?

2 Make a plan.
It is up to you to find the best way to solve the problem. Some problems will give you a plan,like making a table, writing an equation, or drawing a graph.

3 Solve the problem.
It is time to do the math! If you find that your plan is not working, make a new plan.

4 Check your answer.
Yay! You are finished, right? Wrong! Always check your answer. Make sure you have answered the right question. Does your answer make sense? Check your math. Mistakes happen to everyone, and a quick doublecheck can help you spot an error.

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Solving Steps
Max has three dancing frogs. Li Ming has two. How many frogs do they have in all?

1 Read the problem. What do you know? What do you need to find? 2 Make a plan. 3 Solve the problem.

Max has 3 frogs. Li Ming has 2 frogs. How many frogs do they have all together? You can add to find the total number of frogs. 3 frogs + 2 frogs = 5frogs. They have 5 frogs. Does the answer make sense? Yes. Did you add correctly? Yes.

4 Check your answer.

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ProblemDon’t give up!
The first time you try to solve a word problem, it might not work. Keep trying! Look over your work and see if you made a silly mistake, like using the wrong numbers. If you get stuck, try a different plan.

Be positive!
You learn by making mistakes. If...