Represent Situations with Equations

Sidekick LessonSidekick Check

Student Summary

Writing and solving equations can help us answer questions about situations.

A scientist has 13.68 liters of oil and needs 16.05 liters for an experiment. How many more liters of oil does she need for the experiment?

  • We can represent this situation with the equation:

13.68+x=16.05\displaystyle 13.68 + x=16.05

  • We can solve the equation by subtracting 13.68 from each side. This gives us some new equations that also represent the situation:

x=16.05 −13.68\displaystyle x=16.05 - 13.68

x=2.37\displaystyle x=2.37

  • The solution x=2.37x=2.37 means the scientist needs 2.37 more liters of oil.

Volunteers at a food pantry divide a 54-pound bag into portions that each weigh 34\frac{3}{4} pound. How many portions can they make?

  • We can represent this situation with the equation:

34x=54\displaystyle \frac34 x = 54

  • We can find the value of xx by dividing each side by 34\frac34. This gives us some new equations that represent the same situation:

x=54÷34\displaystyle x=54\div \frac34

x=72\displaystyle x=72

  • The solution x=72x=72 means the volunteers can make 72 portions.

Visual / Anchor Chart

Standards

Addressing
6.EE.5

6.EE.6

6.EE.7

6.EE.B.5

6.EE.B.6

6.EE.B.7