English-to-Math Translation
Just like you can translate a foreign language into one you know – like translating Spanish to English – it’s helpful in solving many word problems to translate English to “Math.”
Here is our English-to-Math dictionary:
| “what number” | means | x |
|---|---|---|
| “percent” | means | divide by 100 |
| “of” and “product” | means | multiply |
| “less” | means | minus |
| “sum” or “more than” | means | plus |
| “quotient” | means | divide |
| “is” | means | equals |
| “is to” or “per” | means | divide (ratio) and often a proportion |
| “twice a number” | means | 2x |
| “x increased by 25%” | means | x + 0.25x |
Using Variables to Express Relationships
You can use variables to write equations that model the facts stated in a question, then solve the equations. A question may present a word problem and ask you to select the equation or set of equations that best models the situation.
