Nick has $50 to spend during fall break. He decides to spend $10 each day. Which equation represents the amount of money Nick has left, y, and the number of days x?

Answer 1

This is a fantastic question (it's definitely relevant to everyday life)!

First, I would start by laying out the information you do know:

initial amount: $50

spending: $10 dollars per day

Then, I would remember that generally in math, the word "per" indicates multiplication! SO- if the problem stem asks you to use x as the variable for "day", you would be spending $10 * x or 10x per day.

Finally, because the question stem asks you how much money there is "left", this clues you in that this will be a subtraction problem.

You are trying to find how much money is left FROM the initial 50$ so, your final equation will look like this:

y= 50-10x

where y= $ remaining and x= days

Hope this helps!