WORD PROBLEMS

Directions: Represent the unknown variables and set up the equation. Do not actually
solve the problem. [Note: Item #1 serves as an example.]
I.
1. The difference between two numbers is 15 and their sum is 79. Find the two numbers.
Let x=1st number
15-x=2nd number
Equation: 1st number + 2nd number=79
x
+ (15-x) =79
2. The sum of the ages of a father and his son in 48. The fathers age is 4 more than three times the
sons age. Find their ages.
3. The sum of two numbers is 42. The difference between three times the greater number and five
times the lesser number is 14. Find the two numbers.
4. Three years ago a man was eight times as old as his son. In two years he will be four and a half
times as old as his son. Find their present ages.
5. If 4 hamburgers and 3 apple pies cost P194.50 but 2 hamburgers and 5 apple pies cost P158.50,
how much does a hamburger cost? an apple pie?
6. How many grams of candy at P1.60 a gram should be mixed with candy at P2.20 a gram to make
75 grams of candy to sell at P1.80 a gram?
7. The width of rectangle is one-third its length. If the perimeter is 16cm, find the dimensions of the
rectangle.
8. Half the perimeter of a rectangle is 25cm. If the difference between the length and the width is
7cm, find the width and the length of the rectangle.
9. The units digit of a two-digit number is 4 more than the tens digit. If the number is 3 less than
four times the sum of the digits, find the number.
10. The units digit of a two-digit number is twice the tens digit. One-half the sum of the digits is
equal to 2 less than the units digits. What is the number?
11. Peter wants to produce a 10-litre milk mixture which will contain 4.5% butterfat from two vats of
milk, one containing 3% butterfat and the other containing 7% butterfat. How many liters of milk
from each vat should he mix?
12. A man wants to obtain 15 liters of a 24% alcohol solution by combining a quantity of 20%
alcohol solution, a quantity of 30% alcohol solution and 1 liter of pure water. How many liters of
each of the alcohol solutions must be used?
13. A motorboat goes downstream 168 km in 4 hours. The return trip takes two hours to longer. What
is the rate of the current and the rate of the boat in still water?
14. Two motorists start at the same time from two places 128 km apart and drive toward each other.
One drives 10 kph faster than the other. If they meet in 48 minutes, find the average speed of
each.

15. The sum of the ages of a father and his son is 57 years. If the son lives to be as old as his father is
now, and if they are then alive, the sum of their ages will be 103. Find their present ages.
16. The sum of the reciprocals of two numbers is 7/10. The difference between the reciprocals of the
numbers is 3/10. Find the two numbers.
17. The sum of the numerator and denominator of a certain fraction is 28. If 2 is added to the
numerator and subtracted, the value of the resulting fraction is 2 . Find the original fraction.
18. If 2 is subtracted from the numerator of a fraction and 3 is added to the denominator, it reduces to
. If 5 is added to the numerator and 2 is subtracted from the denominator, it reduces to 3.
Find the fraction.
19. The average of three numbers is 36. The second is 4 more than the first. The third is twice the
first. Find the numbers.
20. A man is three times as old as his son was at the time when the father was twice as old as his son
will be two years from now. Find the present age of each person if the sum of their ages is 55
years.
21. Mary was twice as old as Jane was at the time when Mary was as old as Jane is now. The sum of
the present ages of Mary and Jane is 56 years. How old is each person now?

WORD PROBLEMS

II.
1. If a certain number is added to both the numerator and the denominator of the fraction 3/5 , the
resulting fraction is 5/6. Find the number.
2. A rectangles length is 7 cm more than twice its width. Find the dimensions of the rectangle if its
perimeter is 80 cm.
3. Each of the two equal sides of an isosceles triangle is 5 cm less than 3 times the length of the
third side. Find each side if the triangles perimeter is 39 cm.
4. The longest side of a triangle exceeds the shortest side by 17cm and exceeds the third side by
9cm. Find each side if the triangles perimeter is 82 cm.
5. It takes Chuck 5 hours to split a cord of wood, and it takes his brother 3 hours. How long will it
take them to split a cord of wood if they work together?
6. Paul estimates it will take him 4 hours to type a report but only 3 hours for his sister to do it. If
they both type at the same time, how long will it take them?
7. A nurse has 1 liter of a solution that is 20% alcohol. How much pure alcohol must she add to
bring it to a solution that contains 25% alcohol?
8. Two automobiles start at the same time and place, and travel in opposite directions. The first car
averages 32 km an hour and the second, 36 km an hour. In how many hours will the cars be 306
km apart?
9. An hour after Benjie left on a bicycle trip, his family found that he had forgotten a package.
Debbie, an older sister, started after Benjie on her car. If Benjie was traveling at the rate of 12
km/h and Debbie drove at the rate of 60 km/h, how long will it take Debbie to catch up with
Benjie?
10. A runner starts at the beginning of a runners path and runs at a constant rate of 6m/h. Five
minutes later, a second runner begins at the same point, running at a rate of 8 m/h and following
the same course. How long will it take the second runner to catch up with the first?
11. A man can paint his house in 6 days and his son can paint the house in 10 days. The man works
alone for 4 days and then his son finishes the job. How many days did it take the son to complete
the job?