Math Help

Question: Help on math word problems?

Hi. I am currently taking my GED and I have major problems with math, particularly with basic word problems and algebra word problems. I do not understand how to solve them. I would greatly appreciate any advise on how to solve these word problems. Thanks.
I do not have any examples btw. I would just like to understand how YOU would begin to work word problems out.

Answer: This is the process I tell my students to use and the process I use to approach any problem in words that involves math.

There are always two things to find within the problem itself:

1. The numerical quantity or quantities we know.
2. The numerical quantity we want to know.

Once we collect this information, we simply need to think about how we can use the numbers we know to discover the numbers we do not know.

Example:

A man travels 15 miles to work each day. What must his average speed (in miles per hour) be during the trip if he has a half hour before work begins?

Numbers we know: distance = 15 miles time = 1/2 hour
Numbers we want to know: speed in miles per hour

How we get there: speed = distance / time

Speed = 15 miles / 0.5 hours = 30 miles / hour

A similar process will help you with any math based word problem.

Solving Math Problems : Solving Math Word Problems

Question: HELP! math word probs, sequences & series!!?

1. how many integers between 50 and 500 are divisible by 7?

2. find the sum of the powers of 5 between 5 and 9765625, inclusive.

3. find the sum of the positive 3-digit odd numbers.

(how do i set up #1? for #2, i used the geometric sum formula, and i found out the rate was 5, but the time i did out the formula it ‘overflowed’ in my calculator…did i do it wrong? and for #3, i set it up so that i found asub1, asub2, asub3 (101, 103, 105) and found “d” to make the rule, then i used the arithmetic sum formula…but the answer i got isn’t right).

any help would be great.

Answer: Q 1)

64

7 * 71 is closest to 500 yet less
7*7 is 49 which is less than 50 so 7 ints. don’t work
71-7=64

Q2) done by hand overflowed calculator

12203903905

5^1+5^2+5^3+5^4+5^5+5^6+5^7+5^8+5^9
+5^10

Q3)( I forgot 0 but now fixed)

247500

101 to 999 added = ((900/2)*(101+999))/2

Sequences & Series: Summation (Sigma) Notation

This section of Math Help online discusses integers. An integer is also called a signed number or directed number.

Definition of integers

Integers are numbers that may be expressed as the sum or difference of two natural numbers. Integers are members of the set { …, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, …}. Integers are usually denoted by:

What is a positive integer?

A positive integer is any whole, positive number such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.

What is a negative integer?

A negative integer is any whole, negative number such as -1, -2, -3, -4, -5, etc.

Adding and Subtracting Integers

Integers can be added or subtracted. The resulting numbers of adding or subtracting integers are always integers. This is one of the key properties of integers.

More abstract property of integers

The integers are the closure of the natural numbers under subtraction, and are identified with the rational numbers with denominator 1.