Write an expression to model the following situation: Lisa and Tom are baking cookies for the annual bake sale. Lisa has baked 66 cookies, and Tom has baked 126

Question

Algerbra 1. I in the 9th Grade and I AmHaving Somtrouble With These Kind Of Questions. Operations With Real Numbers.

Answer 1

66+126 = total cookies baked = T + L

Like the others, I suspect there might be some missing information. 

Answer 2

Hello Kaliya,

Usually in any algebra word problem or expression, one is encouraged to start with an unknown, x. Then create a relationship between x and numbers to formulate an expression. In the example you mentioned, as many have commented already, there may be insufficient data since required expression is not clear from the question. However, I will follow the logical method of problem solving in beginning algebra.

Always the starting statement is "Let something be x" or "Let x be something.."

next statemnet is a "Then something is x (operator) something" where operator is + , -, * or /

Finally, "Therefore equation or expression is something"

This is the series of steps. We will apply it to your problem now:

Let x be the number of cookies baked by Lisa (we know x is 66, keep that thought aside for now)

Then the number of cookies baked by Tom is x + 60 (60 more than what Lisa baked since we know Tom baked 126 which is 66 + 60)

Therefore total number of cookies baked is x  + (x+60)

We know the total number of cookies baked for the sale (assuming Lisa and Tom were the only two who baked cookies for the sale) was 66 + 126 = 192

Therefore x + x +60 = 192 (this is equation 1)

solving forx now :

 2x + 60 = 192

 2x = 192 - 60

 2x = 132

 = 66 (this proves our equation was right since x was 66 to begin wih)

 

or the equation could have been:

y = x + 60 where x is the number of cookies baked by Lisa and y is number of cookies baked by Tom

or the expression could be :

2x + 60 is the total number of cookies baked where x = 66

Answer 3

Hi Kaliyah, Please check if you have copied the whole question here.

You can assume that if cookies are represented by X, then Lisa's contribution is 66X and tom's contribution is 126X other than that, we cannot induce any other expression from here.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

A lot of times with these kinds of questions, you will find keywords or phrases that will help determine how the expression (or equation) will look.  When I look at at questions like this, I close my eyes and actually imagine the event happening in the making.  Afterwards you can actually follow along in your mind as to what is being protrayed and in doing so, determine how the expression in general is going to look.

In what you provided so far with Tom and Lisa, we know that Lisa baked 66 cookies and Tom has baked 126.  With that information alone, we cannot build an expression.  We are not sure if we are are looking for the total amount of cookies, the amount they sold on a bake sale, or even how many Lisa and Tom may have eaten on the side when no one was looking.  All we know is how many they baked.  More information is needed in order to develop an expression.