AllExperts > Word Problems 
Search      
Word Problems
Volunteer
Answers to thousands of questions
 Home · More Word Problems Questions · Answer Library  · Encyclopedia ·
More Word Problems Answers
Question Library

Ask a question about Word Problems
Volunteer
Experts of the Month
Expert Login

Awards

About Us
Tell friends
Link to Us
Disclaimer

 
 
 
 
About Scott A Wilson
Expertise
Story problems with any relation to math.

Experience
I started doing story problems in grade school and have been helping people ever since.

Education/Credentials
BA in Mathematical Sciences from OSU. MS in Mathematics from OSU

Awards and Honors
Both my BS and MS degree were with honors.

Past/Present Clients
Thousands of questions right here.

 
   

You are here:  Experts > Science > Math for Kids > Word Problems > word problem

Word Problems - word problem


Expert: Scott A Wilson - 10/21/2009

Question
please bear with me, i' a slow typist


M is 8 more than a second number. which of the following represents the second number.

A)M-11   B)M-8   C)M+8     D)M+17  i'm told the answer is (C) but i don"t understand how or why.

1)can you explain in baby language what is the significance of stating M is 8 more than a second number vs M is 8 more than a number?

2)how does M+8 represent a second number when M+8 doesn't/ can't equal a second number.

am i missing something?  please help me to connect to understanding these type of problems and can you point in the direction to practice more problem like this.

i'm sorry to burden with all this at one time ,but i think once i understand the nuance of this this smooth sailing.  

Answer
B, since M is 8 more, the second number is M-8.

1) If you had 5 and you had one more than your friend, it can be seen your friend had 4.

If you had 7 items and you had one more than your friend, it can be seen your friend had 6.

So if you had M items and you had one more than your friend, it can be seen your friend had M-1.

So if you had M items and you had two more than your friend, it can be seen your friend has M-2.

So if you had M items and you had 8 more than your friend, it can be seen your friend has M-8.

2) It states that the 2nd person has M+8 items.  This means the 1st person has M items.

It could also state that the 1st person had M+8 items.
That would mean that the 2nd person had M items.

If it state the one person had 8 more than another and the other had M,
we could say that if one person has M, then the other person has 8.

Thank you for the wonderful question.  The first thing to do is realize that most of the time when you have a question about something, there are probably several other people in the class with the same question.  You'd be the one brave enough to ask it.


Add to this Answer   Ask a Question


 
User Agreement | Privacy Policy | Kids' Privacy Policy | Help
Copyright  © 2008 About, Inc. AllExperts, AllExperts.com, and About.com are registered trademarks of About, Inc. All rights reserved.