Objective 15
Word phrases to algebraic expressions
©2002 by R. Villar
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Word phrases to algebraic expressions
To translate words into algebraic expressions, we need to know
certain “key words”.
Here are the key words for addition and subtraction:
+
sum, total, more than, increased by, added to, plus, greater
than
–
minus, difference, subtracted by, decreased by, less,
less than, subtracted from
“less than” and “subtracted from” translate to subtraction in
reverse order. Think about this…what number is 2 less than 5?
The answer is 3…so you would write 2 less than 5 as
5–2
Example: Translate “5 increased by a number n” into an algebraic
expression.
“increased by” translates to +
5+n
Example: Translate “thirteen less than w” into an algebraic
expression
Remember, “less than” translates to subtraction in reverse order.
w – 13
Here are the key words for multiplication and division:
•
multiplied by, product of, twice, doubled, tripled, times, half
÷
divided by, the quotient of
Examples: Write in symbols.
a. The product of q and (r – 2s)
“product” translates to multiplication
q(r – 2s)
b. The quotient of 11 and 8
“quotient” translates to division
11 ÷ 8
c. 3 less than w
“less than” translates to subtraction in reverse order
w–3
d. Seven times a number e increased by 11.
This statement contains 2 “key phrases”... “times” translates to
multiplication and “increased by” translates to addition
7e + 11