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Worksheet 8

The document contains 6 word problems that require working backwards to determine unknown values. The problems involve calculating weights of girls on a scale, number of cupcakes baked, amounts of money people have based on relative amounts, ages of neighbors, heights of block piles built, and lengths of fish caught. Each word problem is solved by reasoning backwards from given values to determine the missing information.

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April Joyce Samante
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1K views

Worksheet 8

The document contains 6 word problems that require working backwards to determine unknown values. The problems involve calculating weights of girls on a scale, number of cupcakes baked, amounts of money people have based on relative amounts, ages of neighbors, heights of block piles built, and lengths of fish caught. Each word problem is solved by reasoning backwards from given values to determine the missing information.

Uploaded by

April Joyce Samante
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Problem Solving Mathematical Investigation, and Modelling

Worksheet 8: Working Backwards

1. When 3 girls jumped on a weighing scale together, it read 164 kg. One girl stepped off
and the scale moved down to 104 kg. One more girl jumped off and the scale showed 55
kg. What was each girl's weight?
ANSWER:
The weights of the three girls;
3 girls = 164 kg
2 girls = 104 kg
1 girl = 55 kg
2nd girl, 164 – 104 = 60 kg
3rd girl, 104 – 55 = 49 kg
Therefore, 1st girl (who stepped off first) was 60kg, the 2nd girl,(who stepped off next)
was 49 kg and the 3rd girl, ( who remained at the weighing scale)was 55 kg.
2. Arnold baked cupcakes over the weekend. Each day during the week he took 3 cakes to
school to share with his friends. On Saturday when he counted there were 18 left. How
many had he baked?

ANSWER:
Number of cupcakes baked by Arnold?
Monday – 3
Tuesday – 3
Wednesday – 3
Thursday – 3
Friday – 3
Saturday 18 cupcakes left
Therefore, working backwards, 18 + (5 x 3) = 33 cupcakes.

3. Jemima has twice as much as money as Matthew. Jemima has 4 times as much money
has Sally. Sally has $3 more than Andrew. If Matthew has $14, how much money do
Andrew, Sally and Jemima have?

ANSWER:
Matthew $14
Jemima $14 x 2 = $28
Sally $28 ÷ 4 = $7
Andrew $7 – 3 = $4
Therefore, if Matthew will have $14, Andrew will have $4, Sally will have $7, and
Jemima will have $28.

4. Jack, Terence, Sharon and Alex are neighbors. Jack is half as old as Sharon. Sharon is
three years older than Alex. Alex's and Sharon's ages added together equal 17 years.
Terence is 8. Who is the youngest?
ANSWER:
Terence is 8 years old.
Sharon’s and Alex’s ages total 17 years.
Sharon is 3 years older than Alex.
So, 17 – 3 = 14.
14 ÷ 2 = 7.
Alex is 7.
Sharon is 7 + 3 = 10.
Jack is half Sharon’s age so, 10 ÷ 2 = 5.
Therefore, Jack is the youngest.

5. 6 people entered a block building contest. Lynda build her pile of blocks twice as high as
Selwyn's. Michelle created a pile that was three times higher than Lynda's pile. Warren
built his pile one block higher than Michelle's. Jane's pile of blocks was six higher than
Warren's.
If Adrian piled up 27 blocks, which was two blocks higher than Jane's pile, how high was
each person's pile? How many blocks would be needed altogether?

ANSWER:
Working backwards,
Adrian 27
Jane 27 – 2 = 25
Warren 25 – 6 = 19
Michelle 19 – 1 = 18
Lynda 18 ÷ 3 = 6
Selwyn 6 ÷ 2 = 3
Total number of blocks = 3 + 6 + 18 + 19 + 25 + 27 = 98
Therefore, Adrian piled 27 blocks, Jane piled 25 blocks, Warren built 19 blocks,
Michelle created 18 blocks, Lynda build 6 blocks and Selwyn piled 3 blocks and a total
of 98 blocks that would be needed altogether.
6. 4 girls each caught a fish while at the beach. Teri's was double the size of Jane's.
Jane's fish was shorter than Lynn's by 9cm. Lynn's was 18cm longer than Reina's who
caught a fish 30 cm long. How long were Teri's, Jane's and Lynn's fish?

ANSWER:
Reina’s fish 30 cm
Lynn’s fish 30 + 18 = 48 cm
Jane’s fish 48 – 9 = 39 cm
Teri’s fish 39 x 2 = 78 cm
Therefore, Teri’s fish was 78cm, Jane’s fish was 39cm and Lynn’s fish was 48cm.

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