Read: Word Problems
OVERVIEW
On this page, you will read about word problems.
- First, read about word problems.
- Then, read the example word problems.
READ & LISTEN
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Read:
Paragraphs are common in English class, but did you know we sometimes see something similar in math, too? It's true! They are called word problems. Read the examples below.
Example 1:
Rika is giving a presentation. The directions say to have 8 slides. She has finished 5 slides. How many more slides does she need?
This word problem is the same as writing:
8 - 5 = ?
She needs 8 slides and has finished 5, so she needs 3 more slides.
Example 2:
Carolina's presentation needs to be between 5 and 7 minutes long. She practiced three times this afternoon. Each time, her presentation was 9 minutes. How many minutes does she need to cut from her presentation?
This word problem is the same as writing:
9 - ? = 7
The presentation can be 7 minutes long, so she needs to cut 2 minutes from her presentation.
Example 3:
Hong and Isabel need to insert 7 pictures into their presentation. Isabel added 2. Hong added 3. How many more do they need to add?
This word problem is like writing:
2 + 3 = 5 and then 5 + ? = 7
We add the pictures together that they already inserted, and that total is 5. Then we need to find out how many more they need to have a total of 7. They need 2 more to make 7.