IXL | Multi-step word problems: identify reasonable answers

Jamal and his mom have been saving recycling items for months, and today they traded them in. They made $42 on cans, $19 on glass bottles, and $32 on plastic bottles. Jamal estimates that they made around $140. Is that a good estimate?

Yes.

No, it is much too high.

No, it is much too low.

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Learn with an example

question

A traffic engineer needs to find out how much a local freeway is used. The freeway has 3 regular lanes and 1 carpool lane. One day, each regular lane averaged 304 cars an hour, and the carpool lane averaged 191 cars an hour. The engineer estimated that, in all, the lanes served about 500 cars an hour. Is that a good estimate?

Yes.

No, it is much too high.

No, it is much too low.

solution

To check the estimate, find about how many cars the lanes can serve every hour. Use numbers that are easy to work with and that are close to the numbers in the problem.

Each regular lane averaged 304 cars an hour. That is about 300 cars an hour.

There are 3 regular lanes. Multiply.

300

900

The carpool lane averaged 191 cars an hour. That is about 200 cars an hour.

Finally, add the total number for all the regular lanes and the number for the carpool lane.

900

200

1,100

In all, the lanes served about 1,100 cars an hour. An estimate of 500 is much too low.

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Teacher tools

Work it out

Not feeling ready yet? These can help:

I.4Multi-step word problems

B.2Estimate sums and differences: word problems

D.6Estimate products: word problems

E.5Estimate quotients

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