how do I help my son answer this question/ cary spent 1/3 of his class working on fraction problems and 3/6 of his class working on algebra problems. He spent the last 10 minutes of his class reading a chapter in his textbook. How many minutes long was the entire class? Thank you for your help I did not do good in school and I want him to do better.
let T be the entire class time.
1/3 T + 3/6 T + 10=T
To help your son answer this question, you can guide him through the steps to solve the equation. Here's how you can explain it to him:
1. Start by defining a variable to represent the entire class time. Let's call it T.
2. According to the information given in the question, Cary spent 1/3 of his class working on fraction problems and 3/6 (which simplifies to 1/2) of his class working on algebra problems.
3. To determine how long he spent on fraction problems, multiply 1/3 by the total class time T: (1/3) * T.
4. To determine how long he spent on algebra problems, multiply 1/2 by the total class time T: (1/2) * T.
5. It is also mentioned that he spent the last 10 minutes of the class reading a chapter in his textbook.
6. Finally, set up an equation to represent the given information: (1/3) * T + (1/2) * T + 10 = T.
7. Solve the equation by combining like terms and isolating T on one side of the equation.
(1/3) * T + (1/2) * T + 10 = T
Multiply through by 6 to clear the denominators:
2T + 3T + 60 = 6T
Combine like terms:
5T + 60 = 6T
Subtract 5T from both sides:
60 = T
So, the entire class was 60 minutes long.
Encourage your son to practice solving equations like this one as it will help him improve his math skills.