Beginners Word Problems *HELP!*

[plugyournose]

I have 2 word problems. I know the answer to one but don't necessarily understand how the answer came to be.

1. An apple has 29 more calories than a peach and 13 fewer calories than a banana. If a peach has p calories, then there are ____ calories in a fruit salad made with one apple, two peaches, and one banana.
=======================
apple= p+29
peach= p
banana= p+13 (I though you'd have to subtract 13 from 29 but it's the opposite. Why and how? Is it saying, since an apple has 29 more calories than a peach, a banana should have 13 more than a peach or since an peach has 29 less than an apple, a banana should have 13 more than a peach? *confused*)

A= (p+29)+2p+(p+42).

Initially I got, (p+29)+2p+(p16)




2. A cup of peanuts contains 8 more grams of carbohydrates than a cup of walnuts and 1 less gram than a cup of almonds. If a cup of walnuts contains w grams of carbohydrates, then a mix of one cup each of peanuts, walnuts, and almonds contains _____ grams of carbohydrates?
========================
peanuts= w+8
walnuts= w
almonds= w+1

(w+8)+w+(w+9)

Is this correct?

I just do not understand the processes of solving word problems like these so a step by step of how you twisted the words around to get the answers would help.

 

[Deleted member 4993]

I have 2 word problems. I know the answer to one but don't necessarily understand how the answer came to be.

1. An apple has 29 more calories than a peach and 13 fewer calories than a banana. If a peach has p calories, then there are ____ calories in a fruit salad made with one apple, two peaches, and one banana.
=======================
apple= p+29
peach= p
banana= a+13 <<<< That should be "a"

An apple has ...13 fewer calories than a banana ? a = b - 13 ? p + 29 = b - 13 ? p + 29 + 13 = b ? b = p + 42

Now you should get the answer in the book



(I though you'd have to subtract 13 from 29 but it's the opposite. Why and how? Is it saying, since an apple has 29 more calories than a peach, a banana should have 13 more than a peach or since an peach has 29 less than an apple, a banana should have 13 more than a peach? *confused*)

A= (p+29)+2p+(p+42).

Initially I got, (p+29)+2p+(p16)




2. A cup of peanuts contains 8 more grams of carbohydrates than a cup of walnuts and 1 less gram than a cup of almonds. If a cup of walnuts contains w grams of carbohydrates, then a mix of one cup each of peanuts, walnuts, and almonds contains _____ grams of carbohydrates?
========================
peanuts= w+8
walnuts= w
almonds= p+1 = (w+8) + 1 = w + 9

(w+8)+w+(w+9) ? Correct
Is this correct?

I just do not understand the processes of solving word problems like these so a step by step of how you twisted the words around to get the answers would help.

 

[masters]

I have 2 word problems. I know the answer to one but don't necessarily understand how the answer came to be.

1. An apple has 29 more calories than a peach and 13 fewer calories than a banana. If a peach has p calories, then there are ____ calories in a fruit salad made with one apple, two peaches, and one banana.
=======================
apple= p+29
peach= p
banana= p+13 (I though you'd have to subtract 13 from 29 but it's the opposite. Why and how? Is it saying, since an apple has 29 more calories than a peach, a banana should have 13 more than a peach or since an peach has 29 less than an apple, a banana should have 13 more than a peach? *confused*)

A= (p+29)+2p+(p+42).

Initially I got, (p+29)+2p+(p16)

Hi plugyournose,

Let p = peach calories

Let P + 29 = apple calories ("An apple has 29 more calories than a peach.")

Let P + 29 + 13 = banana calories ("[an apple] has 13 fewer calories than a banana.")

That last one there says that if an apple has P + 29 calories, it's still 13 less than that of a banana.

So, we need to add 13 to the apple calories to get the banana calories.

2. A cup of peanuts contains 8 more grams of carbohydrates than a cup of walnuts and 1 less gram than a cup of almonds. If a cup of walnuts contains w grams of carbohydrates, then a mix of one cup each of peanuts, walnuts, and almonds contains _____ grams of carbohydrates?
========================
peanuts= w+8
walnuts= w
almonds= w+1 <=== (correction) ===> almonds = w + 9

(w+8)+w+(w+9)

Is this correct?

I just do not understand the processes of solving word problems like these so a step by step of how you twisted the words around to get the answers would help.

This is very similar to the first one.

Let w = walnut carbs

Let w + 8 = peanut carbs (A cup of peanuts contains 8 more grams of carbohydrates than a cup of walnuts.)

Let w + 8 + 1 = almond carbs ([A cup of peanuts] contains 1 less gram than a cup of almonds.)

That last one there says that peanut carbs is 1 less than almond carbs. Or to put it another way, peanut carbs = almond carbs less 1 (peanut carbs = almond carbs - 1).

If we add 1 carb to both sides of this equation, we get

peanut carbs + 1 = almond carbs or algebraically w + 8 + 1 = almond carbs.

 

[plugyournose]

OMG I finally got it! Thanks so much for the help!

If you have anything else similar to these, please let me know! I need the practice.