6th grade math problem

Question

Max spends a total of 150 minutes studying math, science, and social studies. He spends twice as much time on his math as on either his science or social studies. How much time does Max spend studying science?

Answer 1

The first step is to write down what you know. Let m=time spent on math, s=time spent on science, and p=time spent on social studies.

 

m + s + p = 150

2s = m

2p = m

 

If he spends twice as much time on his math as on either science or social studies, he must study the same amount for both science and social studies. We can see this from the equations as well:

 

2s = m = 2p ... 2s = 2p ... s = p

 

Thus, he must spend half his time studying math, so that's 150/2 = 75 min. And the remaining 75 min is divided equally between science and social studies, so 37.5 min each.