Math

This is a very intricate unit in math where the children need to think critically in order to solve the word problems given to them. One thing I noticed is that many are struggling with the difference between situation equations and solution equations. Here are the terms defined by Math Expressions:

Situation Equation- shows the structure of the information in a problem

Solution Equation- shows the operation that can be used to solve a problem

With both equations, there will be a variable represented by a letter. 

Here is an example:

Susanna took $3,050 out of her bank account. Now she has $11,605 left in the account. How much money was in Susanna's account to start?

I usually tell students in order to find the SITUATION equation, they should write the equation in the order that it is read in the problem, leaving a variable for unknown information.

Situation equation for this problem is: s - 3,050=11,605 because we do not know how much she had to begin with, but we do know how much she took away and how much she had left.

Solution equation for this problem would be 11,506 + 3,050 = s. In the solution equation you must get the variable alone on one side so that it can be defined. This is often an inverse operation of the solution equation. The answer in this case would be $14,655.

It is possible for the situation and solution equations to be the same in some word problems.

I hope this helps!