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Hi there! Today we will learn how to solve word problems with more than one step. We will use a letter to stand for our unknown number!
Sometimes a math story has more than one step. We must read carefully to find what to do first. We can use a letter like 's' to stand for the secret answer we want to find.
Let us model a problem. Imagine you have 3 packs of crayons. Each pack has 8 crayons. Then, you give 5 crayons to a friend. We can write this as (3 x 8) - 5 = c.
We solve the multiplication first to find the total crayons. 3 times 8 is 24. Next, we subtract the 5 crayons you gave away. 24 minus 5 leaves you with 19 crayons!
Sam starts with 50 stickers. He buys 4 more packs of stickers. Each pack has 10 stickers in it. Then, he shares 15 stickers with his sister. How many stickers does Sam have left? Write an equation using 's' for the stickers left, and solve it.
- Find what to do first. Sam buys 4 packs of 10 stickers. We multiply to find these new stickers: 4 x 10.
- Add these new stickers to his starting stickers. He started with 50, so we have: 50 + (4 x 10).
- Subtract the stickers he shares. He gives away 15 stickers. Our equation is: 50 + (4 x 10) - 15 = s.
- Solve the multiplication first. 4 times 10 is 40.
- Add the starting stickers. 50 plus 40 is 90.
- Subtract the shared stickers. 90 minus 15 is 75. Sam has 75 stickers left!
