You were busy working on a problem using 4 big squares, 8 rectangles, and 8 small squares. Your partner accidentally knocked some algebra tiles off the your desk. You now have 1 big square, 3 rectangles, and 5 small squares on your desk.
Write and algebraic equation that shows what tiles you began with, what you partner knocked off the desk, and how many tiles you have left.
errrr, I don't get it?
help ?
Sure, I can help you with that!
Let's break down the information given:
You started with:
- 4 big squares
- 8 rectangles
- 8 small squares
Your partner knocked off:
- 3 rectangles
- 3 small squares
And now you have:
- 1 big square
- 3 rectangles
- 5 small squares
To write an algebraic equation that represents this situation, let's use variables to represent the number of each type of tile.
Let's say:
- B represents the number of big squares
- R represents the number of rectangles
- S represents the number of small squares
So, the equation can be written as:
(B-1) + (R-3) + (S-5) = 0
In this equation, (B-1) represents the initial number of big squares minus the number of big squares you have left. Similarly, (R-3) represents the initial number of rectangles minus the number of rectangles you have left, and (S-5) represents the initial number of small squares minus the number of small squares you have left.
The equation equals zero because it represents the fact that the number of tiles you started with minus the number of tiles your partner knocked off should be equal to the number of tiles you have left.
I hope this explanation clarifies the algebraic equation for you!