Here’s and example of a SMART MATH problem for ALGEBRA.
Problem
A temporary worker engaged on a contract basis is paid $10 every day he attends work and $5 is deducted from his salary as a fine every day he remains absent. If in a month of 30 working days, he earns $240, for how many days was he absent from work that month?
- 12 days
- 5 days
- 4 days
- 3 days
- 2 days
The Usual Method
[contentblock id=google-adsense-post]
Let the number of days he remained absent be ‘x’.
Hence, number of days he was present = (30 – x)
Hence,
days
(Ans: 3)
Estimated Time to arrive at the answer = 45 seconds.
Using Technique
[contentblock id=google-adsense-post]
If the worker remained absent, he not only loses $5 but also loses the $10 daily wage. Thus the net loss for the worker is $15 (10 + 5).
Had the worker attended work on all 30 days, his earning would have been 30 x 10 = $300. But his actual earning = $240. Hence, the difference = 300 – 240 = $60 is attributable to the number of days he was absent. Since, loss per day of absence = $ 15, so for a loss of $60, the worker was absent for 4 days.
(Ans: 3)
Estimated Time to arrive at the answer = 15 seconds.
[starrater tpl=10]
[contentblock id=smartmath-blockquote]