Example 1. ax b = c.

All problems like the following lead eventually

to an equation in that simple form.
Jane spent $42 for shoes. This was $14 less than twice what she
spent for a blouse. How much was the blouse?
Solution. Every word problem has an unknown number. In this
problem, it is the price of the blouse. Always let x represent the unknown
number. That is, let x answer the question.
Let x, then, be how much she spent for the blouse. The problem
states that "This" -- that is, $42 -- was $14 less than two times x.
Here is the equation:
2x 14 = 42.

2x =

42 + 14
(Lesson 9)

= 56.

x =

56
2

= 28.
The blouse cost $28.
Example 2. There are b boys in the class. This is three more than four
times the number of girls. How many girls are in the class?
Solution. Again, let x represent the unknown number that you are
asked to find: Let x be the number of girls.
(Although b is not known, it is not what you are asked to find.)
The problem states that "This" -- b -- is three more than four times x:
4x + 3=b.
Therefore,
b
4x=
3
b
x=3
.
4

The solution here is not a number, because it will depend on the

value of b. This is a type of "literal" equation, which is very common in
algebra.
Example 3. The whole is equal to the sum of the parts.
The sum of two numbers is 84, and one of them is 12 more than the
other. What are the two numbers?
Solution. In this problem, we are asked to find two numbers. Therefore,
we must let x be one of them. Let x, then, be the first number.
We are told that the other number is 12 more, x + 12.
The problem states that their sum is 84:
X + x + 12 = 84
The line over x + 12 is a grouping symbol called a vinculum. It saves
us writing parentheses.
We have:
84
=
2x
12
= 72.
x =

72
2

= 36.
This is the first number. Therefore the other number is
x + 12 = 36 + 12 = 48.
The sum of 36 + 48 is 84.
Example 4. The sum of two consecutive numbers is 37. What are they?
Solution. Two consecutive numbers are like 8 and 9, or 51 and 52.
Let x, then, be the first number. Then the number after it is x + 1.
The problem states that their sum is 37:
X+ x + 1 = 37
37
=
2x 1

=36.

36
x=
2

=18.
The two numbers are 18 and 19.
Example 5. One number is 10 more than another. The sum of twice the
smaller plus three times the larger, is 55. What are the two numbers?
Solution. Let x be the smaller number.
Then the larger number is 10 more: x + 10.
The problem states:
2x + 3(x + 10)=55.
That implies
55. Lesson
2x + 3x + 30=
14.
55 30 =
5x=
25.
x=5.
That's the smaller number. The larger number is 10 more: 15.
Example 6. Divide $80 among three people so that the second will have
twice as much as the first, and the third will have $5 less than the
second.
Solution. Again, we are asked to find more than one number. We must
begin by letting x be how much the first person gets.
Then the second gets twice as much, 2x.
And the third gets $5 less than that, 2x 5.
Their sum is $80:
X + 2x + 2x 5 = 80
5x

80 +
=
5

85
x=
5

=17.
This is how much the first person gets. Therefore the second gets
2x=34.
And the third gets
2x 5=29.
The sum of 17, 34, and 29 is in fact 80.
Example 7. Odd numbers. The sum of two consecutive odd numbers
is 52. What are the two odd numbers?
Solution. First, an even number is a multiple of 2: 2, 4, 6, 8, and so on.
It is conventional in algebra to represent an even number as 2n, where,
by calling the variable 'n,' it is understood that n will take whole number
values: n = 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on.
An odd number is 1 more (or 1 less) than an even number. And so we
represent an odd number as 2n + 1.
Let 2n + 1, then, be the first odd number. Then the next one will be
2 more -- it will be 2n + 3. The problem states that their sum is 52:
2n + 1 + 52
=
2n + 3 .
We will now solve that equation for n, and then replace the solution
in 2n + 1 to find the first odd number. We have:
=52
4n + 4
4n=48
12
n=
.
Therefore the first odd number is 2 12 + 1 = 25. And so the next
one is 27. Their sum is 52.
Example 8:
A football team lost 5 yards and then gained 9. What is the team's progress?
Solution
For lost, use negative. For gain, use positive.
Progress = -5 + 9 = 4 yards
Example 9:
Use distributive property to solve the problem below:

Maria bought 10 notebooks and 5 pens costing 2 dollars each.How much did Maria pay?
Solution
2 (10 + 5) = 2 10 + 2 5 = 20 + 10 = 30 dollars
Example 10:
A customer pays 50 dollars for a coffee maker after a discount of 20 dollars
What is the original price of the coffe maker?
Solution
Let x be the original price.
x - 20 = 50
x - 20 + 20 = 50 + 20
x + 0 = 70
x = 70
Example 11:
Half a number plus 5 is 11.What is the number?
Solution
Let x be the number. Always replace "is" with an equal sign
(1/2)x + 5 = 11
(1/2)x + 5 - 5 = 11 - 5
(1/2)x = 6
2 (1/2)x = 6 2
x = 12
Example 12:
The sum of two consecutive even integers is 26. What are the two numbers?
Solution
Let 2n be the first even integer and let 2n + 2 be the second integer
2n + 2n + 2 = 26
4n + 2 = 26
4n + 2 - 2 = 26 - 2
4n = 24
n=6
So the first even integer is 2n = 2 6 = 12 and the second is 12 + 2 = 14
Below are more complicated algebra word problems
Example 13:
The ratio of two numbers is 5 to 1. The sum is 18. What are the two numbers?

Solution
Let x be the first number. Let y be the second number
x/y=5/1
x + y = 18
Using x / y = 5 / 1, we get x = 5y after doing cross multiplication
Replacing x = 5y into x + y = 18, we get 5y + y = 18
6y = 18

y=3
x = 5y = 5 3 = 15
As you can see, 15/3 = 5, so ratio is correct and 3 + 15 = 18, so the sum is correct.
Example 14: Algebra word problems can be as complicated as example #7. Study it carefully!
Peter has six times as many dimes as quarters in her piggy bank. She has 21 coins in her piggy
bank totaling $2.55
How many of each type of coin does she have?
Solution
Let x be the number of quarters. Let 6x be the number of dimes
Since one quarter equals 25 cents, x quarters equals x 25 cents or 25x cents
Since one dime equals 10 cents, 6x dimes equals 6x 10 cents or 60x cents
Since one 1 dollar equals 100 cents, 2.55 dollars equals 2.55 100 = 255 cents
Putting it all together, 25x cents + 60x cents = 255 cents
85x cents = 255 cents
85x cents / 85 cents = 255 cents / 85 cents
x=3
6x = 6 3 = 18
Therefore Peter has 3 quarters and 18 dimes
Example 15:
The area of a rectangle is x2 + 4x -12. What are the dimensions of the rectangle (length and width)?
Solution
The main idea is to factor x2 + 4x -12
Since -12 = -2 6 and -2 + 6 = 4
x2 + 4x -12 = ( x + -2) ( x + 6)
Since the length is usually longer, lenth = x + 6 and width = x + -2
Example 16: A must know how when solving algebra word problems
The area of a rectangle is 24 cm2. The width is two less than the length. What is the length and width
of the rectangle?
Solution
Let x be the length and let x - 2 be the width
Area = lenth width = x ( x - 2) = 24
x ( x - 2) = 24
x2 + -2x = 24
x2 + -2x - 24 = 0
Since -24 = 4 -6 and 4 + -6 = -2, we get:
(x + 4) ( x + -6) = 0
This leads to two equations to solve:
x + 4 = 0 and x + -6 = 0
x + 4 = 0 gives x = -4. Reject this value since a dimension cannot be negative
x + -6 = 0 gives x = 6
Therefore, length = 6 and width = x - 2 = 6 - 2 = 4
Example #17:
The sum of two numbers is 16. The difference is 4. What are the two numbers?
Let x be the first number. Ley y be the second number
x + y = 16
x-y=4

Solution
Let x be the first number. Ley y be the second number
x + y = 16
x-y=4
Solve the system of equations by elimination
Adding the left sides and the right sides gives:
x + x + y + -y = 16 + 4
2x = 20
x = 10
Since x + y = 16, 10 + y = 16
10 + y = 16
10 - 10 + y = 16 - 10
y=6
The numbers are 10 and 6
Problem 18
A motorman travelled from A to B. Two hours after his leaving, he noticed that he
travelled 80 km and calculated that if he had continued driving the same speed he
would have been late for 15 minutes. So he increased his speed by 10km/h and arrived
in B 36 minutes earlier.
Find the distance between A and B.
Solution:
Let denote the distance between A and B by x. He took 80km for 2 hours.
His speed was V = 80/2 = 40 km/h.
If he had continued the same speed he would have been late for 15 minutes, i.e. the
exact time was x/40 15/60 h The rest of the distance was (x - 80) km. V = 40 + 10 =
50 km/h.
So the time he took the distance between A and B, was 2 +(x - 80)/50 h. and it was 36
min. less than expected. Therefore the expected time was 2 + (x -80)/50 + 36/60
When we equalize the expressions for the expected time, we get the equation:
x/40 15/60 = 2 + (x -80)/50 + 36/60
(x - 10)/40 = (100 + x - 80 + 30)/50
(x - 10)/4 = (x +50)/5
5x - 50 = 4x + 200
x = 250
So the distance between A and B is 250 km.
Problem 19
A team should make 25 pieces a day to deliver an order on time. After 3 days they
started to make 30 pieces a day and finally they made 100 pieces more than their
agreement. Fine how many pieces did they make and how many days they work?
Solution: Lets denote the days that they worked by x. Then 25.x are the pieces that
they should have made. With the new rate they made:
3*25 + (x - 3)*30 = 75 + 30.(x - 3)
Therefore: 25. x = 75 + 30(x -3) 100 => 25x = 75 +30x -90 100 =>
190 -75 = 30x -25 => 115 = 5x => x = 23
So the worked 23 days and they made 23.25 = 575 pieces.

Problem 20
There are 24 students in 7a class. During a youth brigade they planted 24 birches and
roses totally. While each girl planted 3 roses, every three boys planted 1birch. How
many birches and roses were planted?
Solution:
Lets denote the number of planted roses by x. Therefore the number of birches is (24
x) . If each girl planted 3 roses, then there are x/3 girls in the class, also there are
3*(24-x) boys in the class
There are 24 students in the class totally. Therefore x/3 + 3(24 x) = 24 => x + 9(24
x) = 3*24 => x +216 9x = 72 => 216 72 = 8x => 144/8 = x => x = 18
So 18 roses and 24 x = 24 - 18 = 6 birches are planted.

WORD PROBLEM IN
COLLEGE ALGEBRA
De Vera Gerome B.
1753
CT-36

14-UC-36-