Writing Equations Using Algebraic Language

Translating from the written language to math-speak Putting the operations in their places in the equations Choosing which types of equations and inequalities Doing a reality check with solutions 

Changing from words to equations involves identifying what the variables (the x s or y s or f s) represent and how to arrange them in an equation. Solving an equation requires algebraic know-how, but, if your equation is nonsense or doesn t fit the problem, then the answer to the equation will get you no closer to the answer to the problem than you were before you started. 

You ll see how sometimes more than one option exists for writing an equation. Sometimes one way is better than another. Other times it makes no difference which format you use. And, unfortunately, you ll see that some problems are just unsolvable — no method or means will ever answer the question. 

This chapter also allows me to cover some word-problem topics that just don t seem to fit anywhere else. You can call this the miscellaneous chapter — it contains word problems that you re likely to come across but that don t have any particular place with all the others. These problems are great for illustrating some more of the techniques that are helpful when solving math word problems. 

---

Chapter 13 Writing Equations Using Algebraic Language... 

---