www.VirtualNerd.com

How Do You Translate Phrases into Numerical Expressions?

Write a numerical expression for each of the following phrases: a) the price difference between a sixty dollar shirt and a fourteen dollar shirt b) the total cost of six cupcakes if each costs two dollars

Summary

  1. Phrase a) is 'the price difference between a sixty dollar shirt and a fourteen dollar shirt'
  2. The key word 'difference' means we need to subtract
  3. 'a sixty dollar shirt' is renamed 'shirt #1'
  4. 'a fourteen dollar shirt' is renamed 'shirt #2'
  5. '#' means 'number'
  6. Phrase b) is 'the total cost of six cupcakes if each costs two dollars'
  7. The key word 'total' means we need to add
  8. But key phrase 'each costs' means we could also use multiplication
  9. Each of the six cupcakes costs $2
  10. Adding '2' six times will give the same answer as multiplying 6 by 2

Notes

    1. Let's translate this phrase into a numerical expression
    1. Let's look through the phrase to find key words or phrases that tell us which operation to use
    1. The phrase is 'the price difference between a sixty dollar shirt and a fourteen dollar shirt'
    2. A 'difference' is the result you get when you subtract, so that means we'll be subtracting here
    1. Now let's translate the phrase into a numerical expression that we could solve
    1. The phrase is 'the price difference between a sixty dollar shirt and a fourteen dollar shirt'
    2. Sometimes it's easier to first rewrite parts of the phrase
    3. This will make it easier to see that we're subtracting the cost of one item from another
    4. '#' means number
    1. The phrase is 'the price difference between a sixty dollar shirt and a fourteen dollar shirt'
    2. '#' means number
    3. Plug in 60 for 'shirt #1' and 14 for 'shirt #2'
    4. The phrase translates to numerical expression '60-14'
    1. Let's translate this phrase into a numerical expression
    1. Let's look through the phrase to find key words or phrases that tell us which operation to use
    1. The phrase is 'the total cost of six cupcakes if each costs two dollars'
    2. Sometimes there's more than one way to solve a problem
    3. Taking a closer look at the phrase, we see we can use either addition OR multiplication
    1. Now let's translate the phrase into a numerical expression that we could solve
    1. The phrase is 'the total cost of six cupcakes if each costs two dollars'
    2. Remember, we found that we could translate this phrase using addition OR multiplication
    3. Each cupcake costs 2 dollars
    4. Using addition, we add 2 dollars six times, once for each cupcake
    5. There are six cupcakes
    6. Using multiplication, we multiply 6 times the cost of 2 dollars
    7. 2+2+2+2+2+2 = 6 x 2
    1. Since multiplication and repeated addition are the same thing, we get the same answer both ways!