Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Let's try Order of Operations.

Solve the following problems.

6+7(56-4)-2
(3*6-1)(1/2 *6)-4+3
2/3(16-4*3)-4*5

Answers:
6+7(56-4)-2 = 368
(3*6-1)(1/2 *6)-4+3 = 50
2/3(16-4*3)-4*5 = -17.33

Monday, October 06, 2008

GED Math and Order of Operations

It is important the you know the Order of Operations when preparing for the GED math test. If you are unsure of the order, perhaps this will help you remember.

Please First, do all math within parentheses and/or brackets
Excuse Then do exponents
My Then multiply OR divide from left to right
Dear
Aunt Finally, add OR subtract from left to right
Sally

Example: 3+2 * 4
First, multiply the 2 and 4 which equals 8. Then add the 8 to 3. Your answer is 11.

Here is one you can try on your own. 7+6 *3-5

Answer: 20

Monday, September 29, 2008

volume of a rectangular area

My brother in law is laying a cement slab this coming weeking. He needs to know how many cubic yards of cement to order. And quess what..... he called me. Here are the dimensions. Can you help me figure it out?

25 feet in length
15 feet in width
4 in deep


How many cubic yards of cement will he need?

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

We are all looking to save on our grocery bill and I am sure you are no different. Let's say we found a great deal (which I did this weekend) and got a turkey for 79 cents a pound. If that turkey was 13 pounds, how much did it cos?

Now let's say we baked it and made some gravy. In our gravy we added 2 cans of soup (1 cream of mushroom and 1 cream of chicken) at 59 cents per can.

Note: We will combine our turkey and gravy.

If our turkey delight made a total of 36 servings, how much did each serving cost?


answer: 32 cents per serving WHAT A DEAL!!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008


Susan is putting a circular shaped flower garden in her back yard. The dimensions of her back yard is 30 ft by 15 feet. The radius of her flower garden is 7 feet. What is the area of just the grassy part of her lawn (hint: area of rectangle minus are of circle).

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

I want to put in a cement patio and I need to order cement. If the dimensions of my new patio are 15 ft. by 10 ft and I want the cement to be 6 in. deep....... how much cement do I need to order.

Your answer should be in cubic feet.

Answer: 15ft x 10 ft x .5 ft = 75 cubic feet of cement

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

3(2t + 2) = 18

t = _____

2, -1, 1, -4, -2

answer: t = 2

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

The square root of 23 is between which two groups of numbers?

4 and 5
2 and 3
6 and 7

Answer: 4 and 5

Monday, April 07, 2008

What is the maximum number of 45-degree angles that a triangle can have?

Answer: 2

Sunday, April 06, 2008

Susan has taken 4 of the 5 GED tests. Her scores were 410,440,500, and 480. In order to obtain the necessary 2250 points to get her GED, what would she need to get on her fifth test?

solution: Susan needs to get a 420 on her fifth test.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Which of the following is the equation of a line that contains the point with the corrdinates (1,4)?

a.2x - y = 1
b.2x - y-=-3
c.2x - y = -2

answer: (c) 2(1) - 4 = -2

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Joel noticed that the price of gas is now $3.29. Two months ago it was $2.96 per gallon. What was the percent of increase?


Answer: 11.15%

Monday, March 17, 2008

Susan bought a sweater that cost $96.00. She paid a total of $101.75. What % did Susan pay in sales tax?

Answer: 6%

Sunday, February 24, 2008

What is the volume, in cubic feet, of a rectangular solid that measures 4 feet long, 3 1/2 feet wide, and 2 feet high?

Solution: formula: volume = length x width x height
4 x 2 x 3 1/2 = 28 cubic feet

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Solve for x.


3x + 6 -21 = 2x - 4

Solution: x = 10

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Understanding how to arrange decimals is an important skill for the GED Math Student. Can you determine....

Which of the following decimals is the smallest?

4.0, 0.4. 4.4, -4.0, -0.4. -4.4

Answer: -4.4

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Anna works in a clothing store and receives a 20% employee discount. If Anna decides to buy a $120 coat, what will her total cost be with 5.5% tax.

solution: In order to solve this problem you must first calculate Anna's 20% discount. Hint: Change the 20% into a decimal. Next, subtract the discount fromthe origional price, this gives you Anna's sale price. Calculate the sales tax, again by changing the percent into a decimal. Finally, add the sale price and sales tax together.


$120 x .2 = $24 (discount)
$120 - $24 = $96
$96 x .055 = $5.28
$96.00 + $5.28 = $101.28 (Anna's final cost)

Sunday, February 10, 2008

The sixth line in Pascual's Triangle is 1, 5, 10, 10, 5, 1

Can you figure out the following pattern? 2,5,17....

The pattern is (number) x 4 - 3

Thursday, February 07, 2008



Do you understand the number pattern for Pascual's Triangle? If you don't, you are not alone. Up until now, every time I saw it... I had to think about it. And then, I still may not have figured it out... or should I say remembered what the pattern was.

That is, up until now.

The pattern: Each number is just the two numbers above it, added together.

Can you figure out what the next row will be?

Saturday, January 19, 2008

GED Math: The Associative Property of Addition, The commutative Property of Addition

How do you remember the difference between associative and commutative?

The Commutative Property of Addition: a + b = b + a
When you commute back and forth to work... you go between two places.


The Associative Property of Addition: a + (b + c) = (a + b) + c
When you associate with friends at a party , it is always at least three.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

What is the mode, median, and range of the following numbers?

2.63, 2.01, 2.63, 3.49, 2.45, 2.61

Mode: 2.63
Median: 2.61
Mode: 1.48

Usborne Dictionary of Math (Great for GED!)

More GED Help

Tuesday, January 01, 2008

GED Skill: Adding and Subtracting Decimals

Adding and subtracting decimals is similar to adding and subtracting whole numbers. However, when you add or subtract decimals, it is important that you line up the decimal points. Once your numbers are lined up properly, you can add or subtract just like you would whole numbers.

Problem: Sally went to the store and purchased a can of soda for 75 cents and a bag of chips for $3.99. She gave the cashier a $10 bill. How much change will Sally get back?

Answer: $00.75 + $3.99 = $4.74
$10.00 - $4.74 = $5.26(change)