Translating Words Correctly

1. Avoid writing relationships backward.

   If You See...		Write:		Not:
   “A is half the size of B.”	✔		✘
   “A is 5 less than B.”	✔	A = B − 5	✘	A = 5 − B
   “A is less than B.”	✔	A < B	✘	A > B
   “Jane bought twice as many apples as bananas.”	✔	A = 2B	✘	2A = B

2. Quickly check your translation with easy numbers.

   For the last example in the table, you might think the following:

   “Jane bought twice as many apples as bananas. More apples than bananas. Say she buys five bananas. She buys twice as many apples—that’s 10 apples. Makes sense. So the equation is Apples equals two times Bananas, or A = 2B, not the other way around.”

   These numbers do not have to satisfy any other conditions of the problem. Use these “quick picks” only to test the form of your translation.

3. Write an unknown percent as a variable divided by 100.

   If You See...		Write		Not
   “P is X percent of Q.”	✔		✘
   (Cannot be manipulated.)

4. Translate bulk discounts and similar relationships carefully.

   If You See...		Write		Not
   “Pay $10 per CD for the first 2 CDs, then $7 per additional CD.”	✔		✘

   Always pay attention to the meaning of the sentence you are translating. If necessary, take a few extra seconds to make sure you’ve set up the algebra correctly.

Check Your Skills

Translate the following statements.

1. Lily is two years older than Melissa.

2. A small pizza costs $5 less than a large pizza.

3. Twice A is 5 more than B.

4. R is 45 percent of Q.

5. John has more than twice as many CDs as Ken.