Real-Life Algebra: Interpret & Check Your Solutions

A store sells pencils for $0.50 each. If you buy x pencils and spend $7.50, how many pencils did you buy? Write and solve the equation. What does your solution mean in this context?

• 20

• 10

• 15

• 25

Maria has twice as many marbles as John. If John has x marbles and together they have 36 marbles, write an equation to find out how many marbles John has. Check your solution by substituting back into the equation.

• 14

• 12

• 10

• 18

A car rental company charges a flat fee of $20 plus $0.15 per mile driven. If you paid $50 for your rental, how many miles did you drive? Write the equation and interpret your solution.

• 100 miles

• 250 miles

• 200 miles

• 150 miles

A recipe requires 3 cups of flour for every 2 cups of sugar. If you have x cups of sugar, write an equation to find out how many cups of flour you need. Solve the equation and check if your solution makes sense in the context of the recipe.

• flour = (3/2)x

• flour = 2x

• flour = 4x

• flour = (2/3)x

A gardener is planting flowers in rows. If there are r rows and each row has 8 flowers, and the total number of flowers is 64, write an equation to find r. Solve it and interpret what the solution means for the gardener.

• 10

• 12

• 6

• 8

A book costs $15, and you have a budget of b dollars. Write an equation to determine how many books you can buy. If you have $60, how many books can you purchase? Check your solution by calculating the total cost.

• 2

• 5

• 3

• 4

A swimming pool is being filled with water at a rate of 5 gallons per minute. If the pool can hold 300 gallons, write an equation to find out how long it will take to fill the pool. Solve the equation and explain the significance of your answer.

• 45 minutes

• 120 minutes

• 30 minutes

• 60 minutes

A concert ticket costs $25, and you want to buy tickets for x friends. If you have $200, write an equation to find out how many friends you can invite. Solve it and check if your solution is reasonable.

• 12

• 10

• 5

• 8

A train travels at a speed of 60 miles per hour. If it travels for t hours, write an equation to express the distance traveled. If the train travels 180 miles, how long did it travel? Solve the equation and interpret your solution.

• 4 hours

• 3 hours

• 5 hours

• 2 hours