Algebra word Questions (kill me)

[Tara Marie]

My mind goes blank, I forget formulas and whatnot with word problems. Please help

A math teacher tried to teach his dog to play fetch. The dog started next to his master, then ran fifteen feet south, picked up the squeaky tennis ball, walked ten feet east, and sat down to chew on the ball. At that point, how far apart were the dog and his master?

2.) In a happier time, when families could safely go to amusement parks, one particular world-famous park sold t-shirts, hats, and commemorative pins. One family bought two shirts, two hats, and four pins. They paid $140. Another family bought four shirts, one hat, and three pins. They paid $195. One collector didn’t buy a shirt, but they bought one hat and ten pins to put on it. They paid $70. How much did a shirt cost? A hat? A pin?

 

[tkhunny]

1) The math teacher would remember the Pythagorean Theorem. Plus, "15 ft"? What kind of pathetic throw was that?

2) General Rule: If you don't know something, give it a name, then you can talk about it.
S = Cost of one Shirt
H = Cost of one Hat
P = Cost of one Pin

 

[Steven G]

1) Draw a picture then follow tkhunny's advice.

 

[Otis]

… The dog … ran fifteen feet south … [then] walked ten feet east …

Hi Tara Marie. Are you familiar with compass directions on a map? For example, if you start at the center of a map and want to move south, what direction is that (up, down, left, or right)?

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