COOPERATIVE LEARNING
SOLVING PROBLEMS USING SIMULTANEOUS EQUATIONS
Students work in groups of 4, with each member of the group contributing to the solution of a
problem.
The students are encouraged to be patient while one member of the group is working on their
part of the problem, to ask for help whenever it is needed, to coach each other, praise and give
constructive criticism.
Given a word problem, students will define 2 variables, write down 2 simultaneous equations and
then solve them.
Solve the problem below by first creating 2 simultaneous equations.
1. One day Phil bought 5 loaves of bread and 3 muffins for a total of £8. A few days later, at
the same supermarket, he bought 2 loaves of bread and 6 muffins for a total of £5.60. What is
the price of a single loaf of bread and a single muffin?
Person1: Define the variables.
Person 2 check and initial:………………
Person 2: Write down 2 simultaneous equations.
Person 3 check and initial:……………..
Person 3: Solve the equations for 1 variable only.
Person 4 check and initial:……………..
Person 4: Solve for the second variable.
Person 1 check and initial:………………
Solve the problem below by first creating 2 simultaneous equations.
2. Mayfield High School sold tickets for a school musical. Seats in the auditorium cost £6 each
and balcony seats cost £4. A total of 200 tickets was sold and £960 was collected. How many
of each type of ticket was sold?
Person1: Define the variables.
Person 2 check and initial:………………
Person 2: Write down 2 simultaneous equations.
Person 3 check and initial:……………..
Person 3: Solve the equations for 1 variable only.
Person 4 check and initial:……………..
Person 4: Solve for the second variable.
Person 1 check and initial:………………
Solve the problem below by first creating 2 simultaneous equations.
3. Paul collects baseball cards and football cards. The number of baseball cards is 10 more than
twice the number of football cards. In total, Paul has 70 cards. How many of each type card
does Paul have?
Person1: Define the variables.
Person 2 check and initial:………………
Person 2: Write down 2 simultaneous equations.
Person 3 check and initial:……………..
Person 3: Solve the equations for 1 variable only.
Person 4 check and initial:……………..
Person 4: Solve for the second variable.
Person 1 check and initial:………………
Solve the problem below by first creating 2 simultaneous equations.
4. At the moment Alf is twelve times older than his grandson John. In five years time Alf will
be 55 years older than John. What are their present ages.
Person1: Define the variables.
Person 2 check and initial:………………
Person 2: Write down 2 simultaneous equations.
Person 3 check and initial:……………..
Person 3: Solve the equations for 1 variable only.
Person 4 check and initial:……………..
Person 4: Solve for the second variable.
Person 1 check and initial:………………