Translating Word Problems into Algebra

1. Core Idea

Almost every word problem failure is a translation failure, not a maths failure. Students who set up correctly nearly always finish correctly.

The reliable four-step routine:

1. Name the unknown — write "Let x = ..." in words, with units.
2. Translate each sentence into an equation, one sentence at a time.
3. Solve.
4. Answer the question actually asked — often not x itself.