Math in Our World

Section 6-1

Applications of Linear Equations

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 Learning Objectives
Translate verbal expressions into mathematical
symbols.
Solve real-world problems using linear equations.

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 A General Procedure for Solving Word
Problems Using Equations
Step 1 Read the problem carefully.
Draw a diagram, jot down the key ideas.
Step 2 Assign a variable to an unknown quantity.
Most of the time, the variable should represent the
quantity you’re being asked to find.
Step 3 Write an equation.
Keep an eye out for statements in the problem
indicating two different ways to express the same
quantity
Step 4 Solve the equation.
Step 5 Make sure that you answer the question!
Step 6 Check to see if your solution makes sense.
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 Common Phrases That Represent
Operations (1 of 2)
Phrases that represent addition
6 more than a number 6+x
A number increased by 8 x+8
5 added to a number 5+x
The sum of a number and 17 x + 17

Phrases that represent subtraction

18 decreased by a number 18 − x
6.5 less than a number x − 6.5
3 subtracted from a number x−3
The difference between a number and 5 x − 5
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 Common Phrases That Represent
Operations (2 of 2)
Phrases that represent multiplication
8 times a number 8x
Twice a number 2x
A number multiplied by 4 4x
The product of a number and 19 19x
of a number x

Phrases that represent division

A number divided by 5 x÷5
35 divided by a number 35 ÷ x
The quotient of a number and 6 x÷6
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EXAMPLE 1 Translating Verbal Statements
into Symbols (1 of 3)
Translate each verbal statement into symbols.
(a) 14 times a number
(b) A number divided by 7
(c) 10 more than the product of 8 and a number
(d) 3 less than 4 times a number
(e) 6 times the sum of a number and 18

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EXAMPLE 1 Translating Verbal Statements
into Symbols (2 of 3)
SOLUTION
(a) 14 times a number
Using variable x to represent the unspecified number, we
can write this as 14x.
(b) A number divided by 7:
(c) 10 more than the product of 8 and a number: 10 + 8x
(d) 3 less than 4 times a number
It might help to reword this as 3 subtracted from 4 times a
number: 4x – 3

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EXAMPLE 1 Translating Verbal Statements
into Symbols (3 of 3)
SOLUTION continued
(e) 6 times the sum of a number and 18
Parentheses are required here because the multiplication
is 6 times the sum: 6(x + 18)

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EXAMPLE 2 Solving a Basic Translation
Problem (1 of 2)
If 8 times a number plus 3 is 27, find the number.

SOLUTION
Step 1 Write the relevant information:
8 times a number plus 3 is 27
Identify what we’re asked to find: that unknown number.
Step 2 Use variable x to represent the unknown number.
Step 3 Translate the relevant information into an equation:
8 times a number plus 3 is 27
8x + 3 = 27
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EXAMPLE 2 Solving a Basic Translation
Problem (2 of 2)
SOLUTION continued
Step 4 Solve the equation:
8x + 3 = 27 Subtract 3 from both sides.
8x + 3 - 3 = 27 - 3 Simplify.
8x = 24 Divide both sides by 8.
Simplify.
x=3
Step 5 Answer the question: the requested number is 3.
Step 6 Check: 8 times 3 is 24, and when you add 3, you get
27. This matches the description of the problem.
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EXAMPLE 3 A Problem Involving Contract
Negotiations (1 of 3)
Two basketball teams are interested in signing a
free-agent player. An inside source informs the
general manager of one team that the other has
made an offer, and the player’s agent said “Double
that and add an extra million per year, and you’re in
our league.” According to a published report, the
player is seeking a contract of $18 million per year.
What was the rival team’s offer?

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EXAMPLE 3 A Problem Involving Contract
Negotiations (2 of 3)
SOLUTION
Step 1 Relevant information: Twice the offer plus 1 million is
18 million. We’re asked to find the offer.

Step 2 Use the variable x to represent the offer. Since the

numbers are in millions, we’ll let x stand for the offer
in million dollar units—that will keep the arithmetic
simpler.

Step 3 Translate the relevant information into an equation:

Twice the offer plus one million is 18 million:
2x + 1 = 18

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EXAMPLE 3 A Problem Involving Contract
Negotiations (3 of 3)
SOLUTION continued
Step 4 Solve the equation:
2x + 1 = 18 Subtract 1 from both sides.
2x + 1 - 1 = 18 - 1 Simplify.
2x = 17 Divide both sides by 2.
x = or 8.5
Step 5 Answer the question: The team’s offer was $8.5 million.
Step 6 Check: Doubling $8.5 million gives $17 million, and
adding 1 million more makes it $18 million as required.

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EXAMPLE 4 An Application to Home
Improvement (1 of 4)
Pat and Ron are planning to build a deck off the
back of their house, and they buy some plans from
the Internet. The plans can be customized to the
required deck height, which in this case will be 92
inches. They call for support posts of two different
heights. The taller ones are 8 inches longer than the
shorter ones, and the plans say that the sum of the
lengths should be the height of the deck. How long
should the support posts be cut?

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EXAMPLE 4 An Application to Home
Improvement (2 of 4)
SOLUTION
Step 1 Relevant information: The posts are 8 inches different
in length, and the lengths should add to 92 inches.

Step 2 We’ll call the length of the shorter posts x. The other
posts are 8 inches longer, so they must be x + 8.

Step 3 Translate the relevant information into an equation:

Length of shorter post + length of longer post is 92
x + x+8 = 92

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EXAMPLE 4 An Application to Home
Improvement (3 of 4)
SOLUTION continued
Step 4 Solve the equation:
x + x + 8 = 92
2x +8 = 92
2x = 84
x = 42

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EXAMPLE 4 An Application to Home
Improvement (4 of 4)
SOLUTION continued
Step 5 Answer the question—this is where it becomes really
important to consider the original question. We were
asked to find two lengths, so x = 42 doesn’t answer
the question. We found that the length of the shorter
post is 42 inches, and the longer is 8 inches longer,
so the answer is 50 inches.
Step 6 Check: The two lengths are definitely separated by 8
inches and 42 inches + 50 inches = 92 inches, as
required.

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EXAMPLE 5 An Application Involving Money
(1 of 4)
After a busy Friday evening, the tip jar at an off-
campus bar is stuffed full of quarters and dollar bills.
The tradition is that the bartenders split the dollars,
while the barbacks split the quarters. There’s $245
in the jar, with three times as many quarters as
dollar bills (college students aren’t known to be the
best tippers in the universe). How much money
goes to the bartenders, and how much to the
barbacks?

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EXAMPLE 5 An Application Involving Money
(2 of 4)
SOLUTION
Step 1 Relevant information: Three times as many quarters
as dollar bills, and the total value is $245.
Step 2 Use variable d to represent the number of dollar bills.
Then 3d is the number of quarters (because there are
three times as many).
Step 3 Translate the relevant information into an equation:
the value in dollars of the quarters is the number of
quarters (3d) times $0.25. The value of the dollar bills
is the number of them (d).
Total value is $245.
0.25(3d) + d = 245
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EXAMPLE 5 An Application Involving Money
(3 of 4)
SOLUTION continued
Step 4 Solve the equation:
0.25(3d) + d = 245 Multiply.
0.75d + d = 245 Combine like terms.
1.75d = 245 Divide both sides by 1.75.
d = 245/1.75 = 140

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EXAMPLE 5 An Application Involving Money
(4 of 4)
SOLUTION continued
Step 5 Answer the question: there are 140 dollar bills, so the
bartenders split $140. Three times as many quarters
is 420 quarters; multiply by $0.25 to get $105 to be
split by the barbacks.
Step 6 Check: 420 quarters is three times as many as 140
dollar bills, and $140 + $105 = $245. Sounds like a
winner to me.

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