Answer
There are all sorts of ways you can use simple equations to solve real-life problems! Let's say you're trying to figure out how much money you'll need to save up in order to buy a new car. You can set up a basic equation like this:
$$
\text{Total cost of car} = \text{Monthly payment} \times \text{Number of months}
$$
Now you just need to plug in the numbers for your specific situation. Let's say you're looking at a car that costs 15,000 and you want to finance it over the course of 36 months. Your monthly payment would be:
$$
\text{Total cost of car} = 15000 = \text{Monthly payment} \times 36 \Rightarrow \text{Monthly payment} = 417.78
$$
So, you'll need to save up at least 417.78 each month in order to afford the car.
You can also use simple equations to figure out things like how long it will take you to save up a certain amount of money. Let's say you want to have 1,000 saved up in a year. You know that you can save 50 every week. So, you can set up an equation like this:
$$
\text{Amount of money saved} = \text{Weekly savings} \times \text{Number of weeks}
$$
Solving for the number of weeks, we get:
$$
\text{Number of weeks} = \frac{\text{Amount of money saved}}{\text{Weekly savings}} \Rightarrow \text{Number of weeks} = \frac{1000}{50} = 20
$$
So, it will take you 20 weeks, or about 5 months, to save up $1,000.
These are just a few examples of how you can use simple equations to solve real-life problems. So next time you're trying to figure something out, bust out a pencil and paper and see if you can set up an equation to help you solve it!
Work Step by Step
N/A - Open-ended question.
