Mark B. answered • 11/24/17
Tutor
New to Wyzant
PhD Candidate and Math Tutor with 20 Years of Experience: All levels.
Hello Eddie,
Word problems "can" be intimidating, but they do not have to be. Look at the important information in order to solve. Be aware that sometimes the problem will place information that you have no need of so you need to try to learn what is and is not important. This is not always the case, but it does happen sometimes, okay?
Now, your particular question is stating that this train is moving 56 miles PER hour. Let me ask you a question: What does that word PER mean to you?
Let's say you traveled 2 HOURS at 56 MILES PER HOUR?
How many miles do you think you would travel? How would you arrive at the answer?
While I could easily put the answer here, it would not assist you in understanding the reason behind the answer, you see my point?
So, let's look at your alternative answers, okay?
Option A is saying distance is equal to 56 + 2 (the number of hours I gave you). Do you think that would be accurate? No. Right. That would mean you traveled 58 miles in two hours. And IF that was the case, you actually drove 29 miles each hour, right? So we KNOW that answer is wrong.
Option B is saying v = 56 (your speed) divided by the hours (2 which is the number I gave you). But when solving distance problems we always represent the distance by a "d," okay?
Option D is saying that your distance is equal to 56 (the speed given in the problem) minus the number of hours I gave you (2) which would be 54 miles. But would this be accurate? How could your distance in two hours be less than the speed you were driving? Correct?
That leaves Option C: d = 56 x h (where d is distance, 56 is the miles per hour constant and h is hours traveled) Your problem further tells you d stands for distance, right? And it also tells you that h stands for hours?
Lets see how that would work IF we used the number of hours I gave you earlier, 2.
d = 56 mph x 2
d = 56 x 2
d = 112
You can proof your work too. Take 112 (the distance) and divide by the miles per hour, do you see? And when you do you come up with 56.
The answer for which equation shows the distance d, the train covers in h hours is then C
d = 56 x h
Would you do me a favor and let me know if this makes sense to you by following up by question here? Thanks and I hope you have a great weekend.
Word problems "can" be intimidating, but they do not have to be. Look at the important information in order to solve. Be aware that sometimes the problem will place information that you have no need of so you need to try to learn what is and is not important. This is not always the case, but it does happen sometimes, okay?
Now, your particular question is stating that this train is moving 56 miles PER hour. Let me ask you a question: What does that word PER mean to you?
Let's say you traveled 2 HOURS at 56 MILES PER HOUR?
How many miles do you think you would travel? How would you arrive at the answer?
While I could easily put the answer here, it would not assist you in understanding the reason behind the answer, you see my point?
So, let's look at your alternative answers, okay?
Option A is saying distance is equal to 56 + 2 (the number of hours I gave you). Do you think that would be accurate? No. Right. That would mean you traveled 58 miles in two hours. And IF that was the case, you actually drove 29 miles each hour, right? So we KNOW that answer is wrong.
Option B is saying v = 56 (your speed) divided by the hours (2 which is the number I gave you). But when solving distance problems we always represent the distance by a "d," okay?
Option D is saying that your distance is equal to 56 (the speed given in the problem) minus the number of hours I gave you (2) which would be 54 miles. But would this be accurate? How could your distance in two hours be less than the speed you were driving? Correct?
That leaves Option C: d = 56 x h (where d is distance, 56 is the miles per hour constant and h is hours traveled) Your problem further tells you d stands for distance, right? And it also tells you that h stands for hours?
Lets see how that would work IF we used the number of hours I gave you earlier, 2.
d = 56 mph x 2
d = 56 x 2
d = 112
You can proof your work too. Take 112 (the distance) and divide by the miles per hour, do you see? And when you do you come up with 56.
The answer for which equation shows the distance d, the train covers in h hours is then C
d = 56 x h
Would you do me a favor and let me know if this makes sense to you by following up by question here? Thanks and I hope you have a great weekend.
