Ratios, Formulas and Word ProblemsA series of free Basic Algebra Lessons from Brightstorm online Algebra series.
Ratios In math, it's sometimes helpful to be able to compare quantities using ratios. Ratios are used often in word problems and in Geometry when comparing similar figures. A ratio is a comparison of two quantities. One common ratio example is how many miles in an hour a person drives. Problems that contain ratios involve solving single-step, ,two-step, or multi-step equations in order to find a quantity or variable.
Proportions We can find unknown quantities when we know similar ratios for comparison, using proportions. We find proportions often in word problems, for example those involving baking ingredients, and in comparing similar figures in Geometry. We can represent an unknown quantity in a proportion with a variable, and then solve it using one-step, two-step, or multi-step equation methods.
Solving Literal Equations Sometimes we need to use methods for solving literal equations to rearrange formulas when we want to find a particular parameter or variable. Solving literal equations is often useful in real life situations, for example we can solve the formula for distance, d=rt, for r to produce an equation for rate. We will need all the methods from solving multi-step equations.
Percent Change In math, sometimes we want to calculate the percent that something changes. Percent changes are often seen in word problems and are useful in many real world situations, for example when shopping sales or when calculating a tip. A percent change is a way to describe how much a quantity increases or decreases. For example, when you buy an item with tax, the tax is the percent change from the original price to what you paid.
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