4
$\begingroup$

I can't seem to figure this out.

The mass of 3 notebooks and 1 box is 610g. Each notebook is 250g lighter than the box. What is the mass of each notebook?

This seems to be $3(x-250)+x=610$. So, $$3x-750+x=610\implies 4x-750=610\implies 4x=1360\implies x=1360/4 = 340$$

Which seems to be impossible, since $3x$ (if each $x$ is $340$) is more than 610g.

  • 3
    don't mess up variables. x stands for box2012-07-09
  • 3
    If you are going to use "algebra" to solve such a problem, the solution should always begin with something like "Let $x$ be the mass of the box" or "Let $y$ be the mass of a notebook." This will tell the reader what's going on. At least as importantly, it will **you** keep track.2012-07-09
  • 1
    +1 for showing your work. It allows a much more specific answer2012-07-09

1 Answers 1