There are many strategies for solving problems. Some of those problem-solving strategies are shown in the figure to your right.

Notice that one of those problem-solving strategies is to write and solve an equation.

Before you can use an equation to solve a meaningful real-world problem, you need to be able to write equations from the real-world problems that you encounter.

In this lesson, you have examined different ways that you can translate the problem into an algebraic equation.

• What action does the problem require? This will help me to decide which operations to include in my equation.
• Is there a starting point and a rate of change? If so, I may be able to use a linear function written in slope-intercept form.
• Does the problem involve combinations of two items that each contain a separate rate? If so, I may be able to use a linear equation written in standard form.