There are 25 students in Mrs. Roberts 3rd grade class. There are 9 more boys than girls in the class. How many boys and girls are in Mrs. Robert's class?
How can I explain this to my 8yr old in 3rd grade? I've got myself so confused in the process of trying to figure it out that I'm now lost as well.
5x5=25
I don't understand?
Boys and girls=25
but boys is girls+9
so girls+9+girls=25
twice girls+9=25
twice girls=16
girls=8
boys=nine plus eight
Ahhh, this would be so easy with algebra as was shown by Ms Sue and Shelley, but I guess we can't use algebra for a grade 3
How about making two columns where the two numbers add up to 25 until we see a difference of 9
e.g.
10 15 ----> difference is 5
9 16 ----> difference is 7
8 17 ----> difference is 9 , YEaaahh!
Suppose the teacher says to the class:
"We're going to play a game and to play it we must have exactly the same number of boys as we have girls. So 9 of you boys will have to go to another room while we play this game."
So 9 boys get up and leave the room. That leaves 25-9 or 16 students in the room, 8 girls and 8 boys. Then after the game is over the 9 boys return. Now there are 8 girls and 8+9 or 17 boys.
Edwin