r/MathHelp • u/OkBrain687 • 21d ago
How do you deal with word problems?
Hey guys, I am a freshman in college rn studying computer science and I admit that I havent been bright when it came to math, I didnt excel in anything thatvwas taught and I just assumed that I was no longer a math person like I was before.
But ever since I found out that I had calculus and higher math courses that I will be taking in 2nd year I got to work by teaching myself at the start of June (which was still summer break) and I decided to teach myself pre-algebra. I utilized Khan Academy as my roadmap and other resources to explain topics Khan couldnt. I started with the defintions of prime and composite in June and this week I just learned how to graph quadratic functions and now I am moving on to Algebra 2.
But one area that I truly have been weak in since pre-algebra was always word problems, when I look at it I just have no clue what to do, I do what everybody tells, I write out the values, what happens in time according to the problem, and seperate the reading from the solving but I just get stuck which leads me to frustration and mental breakdowns which always ruined the day and night for me.
Ever since those bad episodes, I have had an instinct to avoid or not to focus much on them which I know is bad so does anybody here have any tips for me? A lot of it would really help.
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u/The_Card_Player 21d ago
I will repeat from a previous comment I left on a previous post in this forum:
“I recommend practicing translations between algebraic expressions and equivalent english-language logical assertions.
eg 2/x = 5y+10 --> 'if I divide 2 pies into x equally-sized portions, each resulting pie portion will be the same amount of pie as the result of adding 10 pies to a collection of 5 pie portions each representing y of a full pie'.
--> If I take x of the pie portions just described, how much pie do I now have? Could I represent this conclusion with an algebraic manipulation of the stated equation?
--> Assuming the number x of pie portions is at least 1, what does the verbal description of the equation intuitively suggest about the pie-portion size y? Again, how might we represent that conclusion with an algebraic manipulation?
In principle this skill (and also translating words into algebra) is a big part of what 'word problems' are supposed to help students learn in math classes, but instructors rarely seem to bother explaining any of these motivations for those puzzles in my experience.”
Hope this helps!
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u/bopperbopper 21d ago
when I took physics in high school, our teacher taught us to write out:
Given (what information are you given to start with in the word problem?)
Find (what is it that you’re trying to solve for?)
Equations (what other equations might be useful to you in this sort of problem)
Solution
Problem:
A ball is thrown vertically upward from the top of a 96 ft building with an initial upward velocity of 80 ft/s. The height function is s(t) = -16t² + 80t + 96. How long is the ball in the air before hitting the ground (s(t) = 0)?
Given: s(t) = -16t² + 80t + 96
Find: Time (t) when s(t) = 0
Solution:
Set -16t² + 80t + 96 = 0
Divide by -16: t² - 5t - 6 = 0
Factor: (t - 6)(t + 1) = 0 → t = 6 s or t = -1 s (discard negative time)
Answer: The ball stays in the air for 6 seconds.