Assignment: 10-Using Formulas
Formulas are equations that show the way quantities relate to one another. We most commonly see these when shopping. Fruits and vegetables are going to be so much per pound, so you would use the formula cost = unit price x weight. The hardest part of this is making sure you put the numbers into the correct spot of the formula.
Sample Problem:
Orange juice costs $0.13 per ounce. What would it cost to purchase 8 oz. of orange juice?
To solve this, you would put the numbers from the problem into the sample formula cost = $0.13 x 8 making the cost $1.04.
That is the basics of the assignment. We are also going to do a task that combines the idea of putting numbers in for variables along with following the order of operations, allowing us to solve something like this:
If x=3 and y=4, then evaluate 4x²+ 3y.
If you put the numbers in for the variables, the expression becomes
4(3)²+3(4)=
4(9)+12=
36+12=
48
The one we will be doing in class, will have more steps, but will follow the same basic idea.
(Remember that a number right next to a parenthesis is just another way of saying multiply. Especially when we start working with variables, you will see the ‘x’ used less and less to represent multiplication. You may however see either of these two symbols as well * or •. Division will also have some new symbols. You may see the standard ÷, but you may also see a /. Division can also be represented as a fraction. ¼ = 1 ÷ 4 = 0.25.)