Most students want to get at the task of adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing when presented with math word problems. This often presents problems for the student because they want to rush to get an answer. We need to think through the problem before attempting it. Many times we miss important information that leads us in the wrong direction.

This activity is designed to allow you to think about the information given to you. You will not be able to give a numeral answer to any of these questions. We would like you to see if you can figure out what information is missing. Two examples are shown.

Example One

John is twenty eight years old. There is an eight year difference between John and his sister. How old is his sister?

We cannot solve this problem because we do not know if John's sister is older or younger than him.

Example Two

Mary used 32 clothes pins when she hung out her socks and shirts to dry. She used one clothes pin for each pair of socks. She used four clothes pins for each shirt she put on the line. How many pairs of socks did she hang out to dry?

We cannot solve this problem without knowing how many shirts she hung out to dry.

See if you can figure out why you cannot solve the following problems. It may help to discuss them with a friend.

1. Jane went grocery shopping with her roommates. She spent $42.55 on groceries. They all agreed to share the cost of the groceries. How much money will have to pay each?
   
   
2. Jack's car broke down. He went to the neighbourhood garage to get an estimate of the cost to fix it. The mechanic explained that the parts needed would cost $55.00. He also stated that there would be labour charges. He said it would take him two hours to fix the car. How much money will Jack have to pay to get his car fixed?
   
   
3. Mary is 10 centimetres taller than her sister Jane who is 80 . Her brother is 102 centimetres tall. How tall is her sister Alice?
   
   
4. Bob bought 450 litres of oil. It cost 65 cents per litre. How much money does it cost Bob to heat his house for one day?
   
   
5. Shirley works in a department store. She works thirty-five hours per week. She makes $220 per week. She lives 5 kilometres from work. How much money does Shirley have to pay for taxi cabs every week?
   
   
6. Sean is building a house. He has plywood for the walls. The plywood is cut in 4 foot by 8 foot sheets. It is 5/8 inches thick. How many sheets of plywood will Sean need?
   
   
7. A man was travelling to St. John, New Brunswick, by train. The train was travelling at 90 kilometres per hour. How long will it take him to get there?
   
   
8. Susan likes to collect baseball cards. She has 424 cards she received free from friends. She bought 614 cards at $2 each. She traded 55 cards last week. The week before she traded 70 cards. Some of the cards she traded are worth $5 each. How much are Susan's cards worth?
   
   
9. Bill decided to put tile at his kitchen floor. The room is 12 feet long and eight feet high. How many tiles will he need?
   
   
10. Peter gets a $5 allowance every week. He also has a paper route. He sells 100 papers each week and gets a 15% a commission. How much money does Peter have each week?

Answers on Page 7...