Algebra! Whether you love it or hate it, you’ve gotta learn it in order for you to pass your class.
Not many students truly love the algebra word problems that they come across, but that doesn’t mean these word problems have to be hard to learn.
In this article, we’re going to talk through a few quick strategies that you can employ as you try to solve high school or college algebra word problems. Incorporating these techniques into your rhythm will really help you solve these problems more accurately as well as more quickly.
Keep reading to learn more!
1. Read the Whole Word Problem
The first thing that you should do whenever you’re faced with an algebra word problem is to take some time to read the entire problem.
It’s important that you go through the entire problem before you start working anything out. Why? There could be important information at the end that you need to know before you begin working the problem out.
Also, be sure to read the word problem very carefully. Word problems love to trick you with subtle phrases and variables that you might not notice if you’re hurrying through the description.
2. Write Down What You Do and Don’t Know
Once you’ve taken some time to read the problem, what then? The next step in trying to solve algebraic word problems is to write out all of your known information and isolate the information that you don’t know.
Try to write this out in variable format, assigning a variable to the different terms in the problem. For instance, if the word problem says that Bob has 40 apples, then you could use the variable a = 40.
3. Use All Mathematical Operations
Now that you know what information you have (and what you’re solving for), you can start employing mathematical principles to arrive at the solution.
When doing this, it’s important that you use all of the mathematical operations at your disposal. This includes subtraction, addition, multiplication, division, and even exponents.
Having an intimate knowledge of how these operations work and how you can manipulate variables with them will help you to recognize patterns in problems and figure out how to move forward.
4. Practice, Practice, Practice
Last but not least, make sure that you are practicing as much as possible. As the old adage goes, practice truly does make perfect.
To get better at algebra, you should go through as many practice math problems with solutions as you can. Be sure to use an online resource like Edbee to shore up your knowledge as you go.
other valuable tips:
Solve Algebra Word Problems Faster and More Accurately
There you have it. Armed with this guide, you should now be able to solve algebra word problems faster and more accurately than you ever have before.
Always be sure to read the problem carefully, write out what you do and don’t know, and employ all mathematical operations. And above all—keep practicing!
For more great educational advice, check out the rest of the articles on the website.
Image Credit: by envato.com
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