Mark B. answered • 04/26/18
Tutor
New to Wyzant
PhD Candidate in Psychology: Experienced Math, Statistics, Tutor
Good Morning,
Word problems "can" be intimidating, but the thing to remember always is that all of the information you need to solve the problem is either given, or you can use algebraic expressions to identify that which is not known in the problem. So, no worries.
I am going to solve by placing the first initial and the corresponding expression below, remembering the total orders served was 58, okay? That means all three of the "unknowns" add up to 58, right?
R (Reuben) = 2x <----2 times as many orders as Bob
B (Bob) = x <----Notice this information is not given, right?
J (Jenny) = x - 6 <----6 fewer orders than Bob
These three expressions now add up to 58 total orders.
Therefore:
2x + x + x - 6 = 58 <---Now simplify this expression
4x - 6 = 58 <---Now solve for x
4x = 64 <--Add 6 to both sides of the equation
x = 16 <--Bob served this amount Plug this value in for others
2x = 32 <-Reuben served this amount
x -6 <--Plus 16 in for x to arrive at Jenny's amount
16- 6 = 10 <--Jenny served this amount
Check our work. Do all three values add up to 58?
16 (How many Bob served) + 32 (How many Reuben served) + 10 (How many Jenny served). Do these three equal 58? Yes.
I hope I have helped you and wish you a great day in school today. Please respond in the comment section below to let me know whether you understand how I solved, or if you have further questions. Have a great day.
Word problems "can" be intimidating, but the thing to remember always is that all of the information you need to solve the problem is either given, or you can use algebraic expressions to identify that which is not known in the problem. So, no worries.
I am going to solve by placing the first initial and the corresponding expression below, remembering the total orders served was 58, okay? That means all three of the "unknowns" add up to 58, right?
R (Reuben) = 2x <----2 times as many orders as Bob
B (Bob) = x <----Notice this information is not given, right?
J (Jenny) = x - 6 <----6 fewer orders than Bob
These three expressions now add up to 58 total orders.
Therefore:
2x + x + x - 6 = 58 <---Now simplify this expression
4x - 6 = 58 <---Now solve for x
4x = 64 <--Add 6 to both sides of the equation
x = 16 <--Bob served this amount Plug this value in for others
2x = 32 <-Reuben served this amount
x -6 <--Plus 16 in for x to arrive at Jenny's amount
16- 6 = 10 <--Jenny served this amount
Check our work. Do all three values add up to 58?
16 (How many Bob served) + 32 (How many Reuben served) + 10 (How many Jenny served). Do these three equal 58? Yes.
I hope I have helped you and wish you a great day in school today. Please respond in the comment section below to let me know whether you understand how I solved, or if you have further questions. Have a great day.
