As part of my series to teach readers, especially students, to solve math word problems or word problems in math, I am starting that series with some tips on how to approach word problems. Let me give you some proven and tested ways to solve word problems especially in Algebra and standardized tests.

1. Read the problem entirely. Get a feel for the whole problem
2. List information and the variables you identify. Attach units of measure to the variables (gallons, miles, inches, etc.)
3. Define what answer you need, as well as its units of measure
4. Work in an organized manner. Working clearly will help you think clearly
5. Draw and label all graphs and pictures clearly. Note or explain each step of your process because this will help you track variables and remember their meanings
6. Look for the “key” words. Certain words indicate certain mathematical operations:

Some keywords you should study are the following:

“Per” means “divided by”

as “I drove 90 miles on three gallons of gas, so I got 30 miles per gallon” (Also 30 miles/gallon)

“a” sometimes means “divided by”

as in “When I tanked up, I paid $3.90 for three gallons, so the gas was 1.30 a gallon, or $1.30/gallon
“less than”

If you need to translate “1.5 less than x“, the temptation is to write “1.5 – x”. DON’T! Put a “real world” situation in, and you’ll see how this is wrong: “He makes $1.50 an hour less than me.” You do NOT figure his wage by subtracting your wage from $1.50. Instead, you subtract $1.50 from your wage

“quotient/ratio of” constructions

If a problems says “the ratio of x and y”,

it means “x divided by y” or x/y or x÷y

“difference between/of” constructions

If the problem says “the difference of x and y”,

it means “x – y”

My dear friend Amor (who is joining a blog contest) also suggested in my Nursing Research site that maybe in the near future I should post here articles about “How to Approach Abstract Reasoning Problems”. The suggestion was well-taken and will be done as soon as I have organized my notes.

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