“FUN” PROBLEMS #1
1. The perimeter of the square is 172 centimeters. How long is each side of the square?
Length 1 side = x x+x+x+x = 172 43
Perimeter = 172 4x = 172
x = 43
2. The area of a rectangle 14 feet wide is 238 square feet. How long is the rectangle?
Length = x 238 = 14x 17
Width = 14 17 = x
Area = 238
3. One painting sold for one-third as much as another. If the cheaper one cost $1250, how much was the other?
Expensive = x 1/3 x = 1250 3,750
Cheaper = 1/3 x x = 3,750
4. In the senior class at State College one-twelfth of the students were majoring in mathematics. Find the number of students in the class if 74 were mathematics majors.
Senior Class = x 1/12 x = 74 888
Sen. Math Majors = 1/12 x x = 888
5. Together, a sofa and a chair cost $316. The sofa cast three times as much as the chair. How much did the chair cost? The sofa?
Sofa = 3x 3x + x = 316 79, 237
Chair = x 4x = 316
Total cost = 316 x = 79
6. Including the tip, a luncheon check came to $3.50. The price of the meal was 6 times the tip. How much was the tip? The meal?
Meal = 6x 6x + x = 3.50 .50 , 3.00
Tip = x 7x = 3.50
Total cost = 3.50 x = .50
7. On Sunday morning, a copy of the NEWS costs 25 cents less than a copy of the TIMES. Mr. Duncan buys both papers and spends 95 cents for the Sunday edition. How much does a copy of each paper cost?
NEWS = x-.25 x+x-.25 = .95 .60 , .35
TIMES = x 2x = 1.20
x = .60
8. In a run-off election for president of the Student Senate, the winner received 115 more votes then the other candidate. Six hundred seventy-three students voted for one candidate or the other. How many voted for the winner?
Winner = x+15 x+x+115 = 673 394
Loser = x 2x = 558
x = 279
9. Judge Smith took one hour to drive from her home to the courthouse and back. How long did it take her each way?
To = x x+x = 60 30 min.
Back = x 2x = 60
Total time = 60 minutes x = 30
10. Pat spent 6 hours on the lake. He fished for 2 hours longer than he rowed his boat. How long did he fish?
Fishing = x + 2 x+x+2 = 6 4
Rowing = x 2x = 4
x = 2