Hey, yo. Here’s a comment Jen sent over:

Hi Curtis,

I need some help with percent and ratio word problems. Unfortunately your previous explanations regarding word problems have been too complicated. Perhaps you could give more information on the basics, the formulas? I know I am not completely understanding these formulas. My knowledge in math is only the basic concepts, and I do not understand algebra yet.

While percents seem simple enough; I become lost when I try to solve word problems with them. I have been using the triangle method to work with percent problems. [The method shown in the GED book.]

1- Multiply when the problem gives you the whole and the percent.

2- Divide when the problem gives you the part and the percent.

3- Divide when the problem gives you the whole and the part.

However, I am still finding word problems with percents and ratios very confusing, so I know I am definitely not understanding the formula. Ratios especially – the whole idea of cross multiplying sounds good, but when I do this I become lost as I attempt to finish the problem. I hope you can help me begin to make sense of these areas.

Thanks, Jen
continue reading "GED Math: Percent and Ratio Word Problems"

Yo, all you GED studiers. Zaher wrote me with a good math problem… ’bout distance and speed and time. Take a gander…

Hey Curtis ,

Thanks for your prompt reply man . This is one of the problems I struggled with involving distance :

- A man started walking at 2 mph, while a woman 2 miles behind him began walking at the same time at a rate of 4 mph, and in the same direction. Just then, the man’s dog left him and ran toward the woman. Upon reaching her, it instantly turned around and ran back toward thr man. And so, the dog continued to run back and forth between them, at a constant rate of 5 mph, until the woman finally overtook the man. How far did the dog run?

**** Go enjoy figuring it out and let me know how to do it man !

Zaher

In the GED test, on the page with all the formulas, you got one for distance:

distance = rate x time

So, what’s it mean?
continue reading "GED Math: Distance, Rate, and Time"

Yo! Here’s one thing the GED math test definitely asks you to do: turn a word problem into a formula. Sometimes the GED test doesn’t ask you to solve the problem. It just asks you to look at a bunch of formulas and figure out which one’s the right one. Well, at least you don’t hafta solve it. It’s pretty useful to know, too, cuz it helps you solve other word problems. It’s one of the steps you gotta take to figure things out.

So, let’s try walkin’ thru one.
continue reading "GED Math: Making a Problem into a Formula"

Hey, all. This is another something written by Leonard Williams on the GED forum, and I thought it’s pretty useful…explaining what the math formulas in the front of the GED test booklet mean…
continue reading "The GED Math Formulas Explained"