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Components assist in understanding what rules and operaters are needed to solve the word problem.

Word problems are mathematical sentences.
They contain the proper rules, components, & operators needed to solve a problem.
Numeric expressions contain numbers and constants.
Algebraic expressions contain variables and numbers or constants.
WRITING EXPRESSIONS
Writing a expression from a word problem

Numeric Expressions

Word Problem

A store receives 2 eagles
and 5 geese.

Gathering Information

Variables:  there are no unknown values 
Terms: two terms: 2 eagles, 5 geese
Coefficient: there is nothing additional to increase/decrease
Constant: there is only 2 eagles and 5 geese
Operator: "how many" means to add, '+'

Components

Variables:  none
Coefficient: none
Constant: 2, 5
Operator: '+'
Terms:
2, 5

Write the Expression

eagles: 2
how many: '+'
geese: 5

2  +  5 

Algebraic Expessions

Word Problem

Every time the store gets 2 eagles the number of geese triples. How many total birds did the store recieve?

Gathering Information

Variables: the unknown number of geese 
Terms:
two terms: 2 eagles & the unknown number of geese
Coefficient: increases the number of geese by 3 or triples the geese
Constant: the number of eagles will remain the same
Operator: "how many" means to add, '+'

Components

Variables:  x
Coefficient: 3
Constant: 2
Operator: '+'
Terms:
2, 3x

Write the Expression

eagles: 2
how many: '+'
variable: x
# of geese tripled: 3x

2 + 3x

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