Word Problems
Learn
Applying Data and Patterns in Real Life
Word problems help you see how data analysis and pattern recognition are used in everyday situations.
In this lesson, you'll solve problems about sports statistics, business sales, science experiments, and more!
Problem-Solving Strategy: RICE
- Read the problem carefully. What information is given?
- Identify what you need to find.
- Choose a strategy (find a pattern, make a table, draw a graph).
- Evaluate your answer. Does it make sense?
- "How many more/fewer" = subtraction (finding a difference)
- "Total" or "altogether" = addition
- "Average" or "mean" = add all values, divide by count
- "Pattern" or "sequence" = look for a rule
- "Predict" or "continue" = apply the pattern rule
Example Problems
Example 1: Sports Statistics
The basketball team tracked their scores for 5 games:
| Game | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | 48 | 52 | 45 | 58 | 52 |
Question: What was the team's average score per game?
Solution:
Step 1: Add all scores: 48 + 52 + 45 + 58 + 52 = 255
Step 2: Divide by number of games: 255 / 5 = 51 points per game
Example 2: Savings Growth
Maria saves money each week. Her savings pattern is:
Question: How much will Maria have saved by week 8?
Solution:
Step 1: Find the pattern rule: 12-5=7, 19-12=7, 26-19=7. Rule: Add $7 each week.
Step 2: Use the formula: Week 8 = $5 + (8-1) x $7 = $5 + $49 = $54
Practice Problems
Problem 1
A farmer recorded the number of eggs collected each day:
| Day | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eggs | 24 | 31 | 28 | 35 | 32 |
Question: What is the range of eggs collected (highest - lowest)?
Problem 2
A plant grows in a pattern. Its height each week is: 3 cm, 6 cm, 12 cm, 24 cm...
Question: How tall will the plant be in week 6?
Problem 3
The graph shows book sales at a school fair:
Question: How many total books were sold during the week?
Problem 4
A movie theater charges $8 for the first ticket and $6 for each additional ticket in a group purchase.
Question: How much would 5 tickets cost for a family?
Problem 5
Students recorded daily high temperatures (in F): 72, 75, 71, 78, 74. The next week's temperatures were: 76, 79, 82, 80, 78.
Question: How much higher was the average temperature in week 2 compared to week 1?
Problem 6
A fitness challenge has participants do pushups. Day 1: 5 pushups, Day 2: 8 pushups, Day 3: 11 pushups...
Question: On which day will a participant first do more than 30 pushups?
Problem 7
A line graph shows a company's monthly profit doubled each month. January: $1,000, February: $2,000, March: $4,000...
Question: In which month will the profit first exceed $50,000?
Problem 8
A taxi charges $3.50 base fare plus $2.25 per mile. The pattern of total cost is: $3.50, $5.75, $8.00, $10.25...
Question: What would be the total cost for a 7-mile trip?
Problem 9
Test scores for 6 students: 85, 92, 78, 95, 88, 90. To get an A, the class average must be at least 88.
Question: Did the class earn an A?
Problem 10
A bouncing ball loses height with each bounce: 128 cm, 64 cm, 32 cm, 16 cm...
Question: After how many bounces will the ball first bounce less than 5 cm?
Check Your Understanding
Challenge Problem
A store's weekly sales data shows: Week 1: $2,400, Week 2: $2,800, Week 3: $3,200, Week 4: $3,600.
If this pattern continues:
- What will Week 6 sales be?
- In which week will sales first exceed $5,000?
Summary
Read Carefully
Identify given information and what you need to find.
Organize Data
Use tables and graphs to see patterns clearly.
Find Patterns
Look for addition, subtraction, or multiplication rules.
Check Your Work
Verify your answer makes sense in context.
Next Steps
- Continue to Common Mistakes to learn what errors to avoid
- Practice creating your own word problems from real data
- Look for data and patterns in news articles, sports reports, and science experiments